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HEAVY VANS
Page 15
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What represents the future of heavy vans and which manufacturers are offering relics of the past? Read on and find out.
While 2004 was relatively quiet in terms of new van products, the next 12 months promises to be more exciting. LDV is finally on the verge of releasing its crucial newcomer into the marketplace, although the UK's last remaining true local van maker must be encouraged that as 2004 was drawing to a close, its registrations were ahead of the previous year. The other all-new van parked around the corner shares the same Birmingham roots as LDV, although rather further back in time. Now residing in Turkey. BMC will be launching the Megastar at the NEC, with UK deliveries expected in August, albeit with a less Nissan-like name.
The next big event from the major European players is the next generation of the Mercedes Sprinter and Volkswagen LT twins. On the marketing front, we are standing by expectantly to discover which van brand is to he sold through MAN's truck network.
Further away. our man at the Tokyo truck showcame back convinced that I Iino's venture into hybrid-powered vans could be marketed in Europe by Scania dealers.
Looking back at 2004, the heavy van sector has been almost entirely behind the rise in CV registrations. Market leader Ford has recovered some of its slippage in market share, while Mercedes and Vauxhall continue to challenge strongly. Fiat has moved up the rankings to overtake its Sevel partner, Citroen, while recent arrival to the volume heavy van market,Nissan, is making a sustained irnpact.We can expect the sector to continue to rise, as home deliveries become more widespread. We also expect current operators of 7.5-tonners to move away, both downwards to 3.5-tonne vans and upwards to 12 and 18-tonners.