'World van . dies
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• Bedford's future in the UK heavy market has suffered a new blow with news that its parent company, General Motors, has shelved plans to build a "world van", the vehicle originally intended to replace the Bedford CF range.
The decision to suspend work on the world van — due for launch in 1988 — follows a change in GM's vehicle development policy which will see resources switched to alternative forward heavy truck programmes.
Bedford insists that the project has not been totally abandoned, although it will give no indication about its future heavy van policy, or whether it will develop a replacement to the ageing CF independent of the GM World Truck and Bus Group.
The world van project was originally intended to use GM's global manufacturing and design resources with production of the basic model spread throughout different countries, using common components. Having already gone to Isuzu and Suzuki for its Midi and Rascal van designs, Bedford may try once again to find a Japanese partner with a suitable large panel van which could be assembled at its Luton plant. GM currently holds a 38 per cent share in Isuzu.
Since the launch of the Midi in 1984, CF sales have declined by around 30% although its overall light commercial sales have risen.
There are many potential CF replacements in the Isuzu cupboard, with the WHR, NHR, NKR and NPR models all bridging the gap between the WER (the Midi in Britain) and Isuzu's ERR light truck. Some of these models are already sold in Europe.