The new Renault Kangoo Van and Mercedes-Benz Citan have been named the joint winners of the International Van of the Year 2022, beating tough competition from the Volkswagen Caddy and the small electric vans from Stellantis.
The joint-engineered city van was praised for its innovative new approach to storage solutions with the open sesame door for the Kangoo Van and the integration of the MBUX infotainment system by Mercedes in to the Citan.
The award, now in its 30th year, is selected by a group of light commercial vehicle experts from across Europe who tested 14 new vehicles from 11 manufacturers throughout the year.
Speaking about receiving the award, Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans said: “We are delighted that our new Mercedes-Benz Citan has been awarded the International Van of the Year Award 2022.
“The Citan was entirely redeveloped by professionals for professionals and perfectly complements our existing Mercedes-Benz Vans portfolio. Both the panel van and the Tourer offer our customers a wide range of possible uses and a high degree of functionality – with extremely high driving comfort and the proven Mercedes-Benz safety standards. As a true Mercedes-Benz, it completes our vans family.”
Mark Sutcliffe, SVP, LCV Business Unit, Renault Group, added: “This award is a source of great pride for our teams. It rewards their efforts in designing and manufacturing a van to the highest quality standards and whose innovations, unique on the market, have been designed to enhance the daily life of our professional customers.
“This prestigious award is the latest recognition of Renault’s innovation and leadership in the light commercial vehicle segment dating back more than 120 years.”
Toyota’s Hilux also received the bi-annual International Pick-Up Award 2022, narrowly beating the Isuzu D-Max to the title thanks to the introduction of its new 2.8-litre engine.
Didier Gambart, vice president of Toyota Motor Europe sales, marketing and customer experience, said: “With more than 50 years heritage, the Hilux has always stood for outstanding quality, durability and reliability as well as very capable off-road performance. Now with the new 2020 Hilux, we have expanded the engine line-up with a new 2.8 D that offers even more refinement and power capability, allowing us to meet the needs of customers wanting not only a workhorse, but also a leisure vehicle. So this award is for us a recognition of all the inherent qualities of Hilux, with even more capabilities.”