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United CV show is set to break all records!

With 560 exhibitors eager to promote their wares, The Commercial Vehicle Show 2000, organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, looks set to be one of the biggest and best exhibitions of its type to take place in Britain for many years. It will be held at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre on 28-30 March and will incorporate the SMMT's own commercial vehicle show, the Institute of Road Transport Engineers' exhibition (formerly held at Telford), and TipCon, run by the Road Haulage Association.

• by Steve Banner Despite the size of the CV show there will be none of the doubledecker palaces that have become such a familiar sight at major international transport shows such as Amsterdam and Brussels. The organisers have imposed restrictions on stand sizes and kept them all single storey in a bid to control costs.

Their well-justified fear is that if costs were allowed to escalate. the show would lose exhibitor support, hitting small businesses particularly hard.

If that were to happen, cooperation between the three trade associations would collapse amid calls for a revival of the IRTE show held at a regional leisure centre, rather than a comprehensively equipped exhibition complex. • An long the things to look out for at Birmingham is the UK debut of Renault Vrs somewhat oddly named Midlum middleweight truck. RVI will have two examples on display—a 7.5-tonner and a 16-tonner.

The former will be a 150hp day-cab 150.08B with the standard five-speed ZF gearbox anc a single-reduction back axle. RV is majoring on the lightness of the chassis, and this 4.45m-wheelbase example will boast a a• body and payload

allowance of 4,430kg. Two 7.5twiner Midiums D ivill be available for ride-anddrive demonstrations.

The 16-tonner, the biggest model in the range. will be a 250hp 250.16 with a 4.45m wheelbase, a Global Night sleeper cab and an Eaton 8209 nine speed gearbox plus a singlereduction rear axle. Body and payload allowance Is 11.481kg and this chassis will accommodate a 5.9m body.

Moving up the weight range, RVI is showing a Premium 400 6x2 tractor with a Privilege Single cab. Single cabs account for roughly 20% of Premium registrations and RVI expects that figure to grow. Introduced last summer. the Single cab comple ments the original Premium Long-Distance cab and is an option on high-roof Privilege Long-Distance models. The passenger seat is removed, the cab floor raised and the bunk modified to provide a sofa bed—RVI says its research shows that 90% V truck trips are made with a single person on board.

Close by is the new Magnum 440 4x2 with a 441hp Mack ETech engine and a new gearbox. The engine has been in use in the US for the past couple of years. It features a unit-pump, high-pressure injection system and VMAC III electronic engine control. When combined. RVI expects them to lead to better engine efficiency.

A 471hp version of E-Tech will power the new Magnum 480 and these power plants will form the basis of RVI's Euro-3 Magnum model range.

The gearbox will be a ZF 16S Ecosplit with Servos hift air assistance, which reduces the effort needed in cog swapping. Hydraulic and separate electric retarders will be available as options and can be controlled from the steering column.

All 4x2 Magnums get disc brakes and the chassis layout has been changed. Both batteries are now together behind the cab, with the toolbox and screenwash reservoir underneath for easy access.

Three other Euro-3 RVI engines are on the stand, all with common-rail technology. The four, six and 11-litre engines are called DCI-4, DCI6, and DCI-11 respectively and the 11-litre is believed to be the largest common-rail engine to go into production anywhere in the world.

Going back down the weight scale, RVI is also displaying a 106hp 110.60 Mascott six-tonner.

• Volvo is banging the FH12 drum loud and long at the NEC; that's not surprising given that it's this year's International 0

D Truck of the Year. Taking centre stage on its stand is an FH12 4x2 tractor with a Globetrotter XL cab in CD trim, It's powered by D12C engine at 460hp, married to a VT2514 Easy Shift 14speed gearbox.

Next to it is an FM12 4x2 with a new chassis package which is offered as an option on the FH and FM12 4x2 tractors.

It includes disc brakes all round, a redesigned front suspension and steering and a new rear air suspension. It also embraces an electronic braking system, a traction control system and ABS.

This latest braking package is said to cut emergency stopping distances by up to 15%. Built-in sensors alert the driver when brake pad thickness is down to 20%.

The model on show features the 380hp version of the D12C engine, an R1900 nine-speed range-change gearbox and a Sleeper cab in C-trim.

Completing the Volvo tractor line-up is an FM12 6x2 with a specification that includes a 420hp D12C engine, a VT2014 gearbox and a Globetrotter cab in C-trim.

The only rigid on Volvo's stand is a C-trimmed Day Cab 8x4 FM12 tipper with a 380hp D12C engine and an R1900 ninespeed box. Bodywork is by Rouse & Beer, and Volvo is highlighting the One Stop concept it is introducing in conjunction with selected bodybuilders. Just as important as the truck is the support package, and Volvo is demonstrating Dynafleet 2.0, the latest generation of the manufacturer's Transport Information Systems. It's designed to help operators maximise vehicle uptime, cut fuel use and improve traffic management Visitors can even make use of Volvo's Used Truck Locator on the Internet

• Volvo distributes MITSUBISHI CANTER trucks in the UK and two models are up for perusal on a nearby stand.

There are a Canter 63 with a crew-cab, a Mackworth threeway body and OMFB tipping gear—the factory-fitted fourdoor crew cab is now on offer on all Canters sold in the UK— and a day-cab 7.5-tonner. This has Ingimex Double Dropside bodywork and is finished in the livery of BAS, which is part of the Volvo group.

B SCANIA has three trucks on show, all in operator livery. Fans of top-of-the range tractors will appreciate the 530hp R144LA6x2/4NA 530 Topline being supplied to Stirling-based ownerdriver Danny McPhailit's one of the first to be factory-fitted with walnut dash and door trim, a leather and wood steering wheel and an in-cab storage module with space for a microwave, TV, and other goodies.

Its equipped with a GRS900 gearbox with a retarder, polished alloy wheels and a VBG air-shift sliding fifth wheel.

About to be delivered to Swift Plant Hire, a subsidiary o' housebuilder David Wilson Homes, the P144LB6x24NA 340, which is also present, is a 340hp three-axle rear-steer drawbar rigid plated at 4tonnes. Once fitted with a platform body and a Palfinger crane mounted behind the cab it will be used to deliver plant to construction sites.

Vehicle number three is a P124LA6x2/4NA 420 twin-steer tractor in Rank Hovis livery. Running at 420hp, it's equipped with a GRS900 12-speed-plustwo-crawlers gearbox, a GHH Rand oil-free screw compressor and an Eminox vertical exhaust. It will be used for bulk flour deliveries.

IN FROM'S Alpha has helped the company increase its registration by 30% a year over the past two years from an admittedly low base. There are four examples on show.

Two are rigids—an A2-4R 4x2 18-tonner with a Cummins B Series 5.9-litre engine rated at 235hp with an Eaton FS6109 nine-speed gearbox and a Mentor S153E single-reduction back axle; and an A3-8RI tipper chassis powered by a 400hp Caterpillar C12 engine with an Eaton RISC 14312 12-speed box.

To suit operations in harsh off-road environments the A3 has been specified with optional straight-beam front axles rated at 7,500kg apiece to reduce the risk of individual axle overload. They're matched to the raised version of Foden's FF20 rubber rear suspension.

The other two exhibits are tractors. One is an A3-6M 6x2 mid-lift with a 430hp Caterpillar C12 and an XL High Roof Sleeper Cab, which is making its NEC debut. Foden is introducing

ECAS—Electronically Controlled Air Suspension—as standard on all Alpha mid-lifts. The other is an A3-61:1 6x4

equipped with a Cummins ISM 440 engine with 440hp on tap. It too will sport the l-ugh Roof Sleeper with Airtrac air suspension on the rear bogie.

Foden is demonstrating its FODEX (Foden Data Extraction} service. It gathers vehicle and driver-related data from the cab and can download it remotely using GSM telecommunications technology. FODEX then interprets the data, summarises vehicle performance and analyses ways in which it can be improved.

• OAF, Foden's sister company, is displaying three vehicles—a 95XF 530 Furo-3 Super Space Cab tractor; an 85CF 430 tractor; and a special-edition 45Series rigid. The 85CF will be equipped with exhaust system after-treatment so that it qualifies for a Reduced Pollution Certificate, and a rebate in Vehicle Excise Duty.

• ERF is appearing at the NEC for the first time under the ownership of MAN, and is using the show to launch a new range of trucks. The line-up on the ERE stand is likely to include an EP6 skip loader, an ES8 6x4 mixer chassis and possibly a gas-powered 6x2 EC tractor employing a Detroit Diesel engine.

Also likely to be present is a Cummins ISM-powered EC11.38MT 6x2 midlift tractor plated at 41 tonnes. ERF is putting a fleet of 28 on the road in the latest incarnation of its Fuel Duel programme.

• The IVECD group is taking three bites of the cherry, with stands representing 'yew Ford, Seddon Atkinson and Iveco.

Making its show debut in the UK on the Iveco Ford stand is a 6x2 twin-steer 440E43TX/P EuroStar tractive unit with a new engine and new braking and control systems. The 430hp Cursor 10 power plant is electronically managed and "talks" to the truck's EuroTronic semiautomated transmission via a CAN bus ink.

Disc brakes are standard on the first and third axles; EBS is used to oversee and manage the ABS, traction control and braking functions.

Close by is a EuroTrakker 340E35H eight-legger tipper, taking its first British bow with a 352hp version of the 7.8-litre Cursor B diesel.

A rather lighter rigid is the 7.5-tonne Cargo 75E15 fitted with a Boalloy box body finished in a special celebration livery. It's one of 80 built to mark the production of the 200,000th Cargo chassis to roll off the line since the current model's launch in 1991.

Seddon Atkinson is submitting three products. There's an 18-tonne 18.235B rigid with a sleeper cab; a 26-tonne 26.280C 6x4 lightweight rigid with a day cab: and a 23.4051SM Strato 6x2 mid-lift tractor with a high roof sleeper cab, plated at 44 tonnes.

Much of the excitement at the show centres around light commercials, with Ford's new Transit making its first British exhibition appearance and Mercedes-Benz's facelifted CDI Sprinter—now with common rail diesels—looking to tempt Transit buyers to switch to the three-pointed star, The lveco stand features four examples of the Daily City Truck, which was launched in 1999. The Daily range is subdivided into L, S. and C Classes and a van derivative of each is on display.

The L Class is represented by a 3m wheelbase 3.2-tonne 29L9—the first new Daily in this weight segment to be shown on this side of the Channel. It's powered by a 2,8-litre, 85hp naturally aspirated indirectinjection diesel.

Almost dwarfing it is a cavernous 35C13 C Class 3.5-tonnor with no less than 17.2m3 of high-roof cargo space. With twin rear wheels and a 3.95m wheelbase, it is fitted with a 125hp Unijet charge-cooled, 2.8-litre, common-rail, direct-injection turbo-diesel. The Unjet engine is also appearing in a 50C13 chassis crew cab.

The fourth vehicle, representing the S-Class, is a 35S11 3,5-tonner van with a 3m wheelbase. It boasts a 10.2m3 cargo bay, single rear wheels and a 2.8-litre 105hp charge-cooled

direct-injection turbo-diesel beneath its bonnet.

• MERCEDES-BENZ is squeezing seven vehicles onto its stand, with most of the attention focusing around two examples of the latest Sprinter; a 208CDI and a 311CDL Derived from power plants introduced in the Vito last year—a Vito 110CDI is also there—the common-rail Sprinter engines have capacities of 2.2 and 2.7 litres with power outputs of 82hp, 109hp, 129hp and 156hp.

Two Ategos, an 815 and an 1823, and two Actros tractors, a 2450 and an 1857, complete the picture. The Sprinter's designers have ditched the long floor-mounted gearlever and replaced it with a stubby dashboard-mounted lever. This allows the driver to slide across the cab unimpeded and exit safely on the pavement side.

:..„• • FORD has, for the moment, eschewed the common-rail route, although common-rail versions of the new DuraTorq engines deployed in the latest Transit are in the pipeline.

The current four-cylinder direct-injection DuraTorq turbodiesels are at 2.0 and 2.4 litres, with power outputs from 75hp to 120hp. The 2.0-litre is destined for the front-wheel-drive version, which will go on sale in the autumn. Common rail technology is a feature on many light commercial stands.

• A Scudo Combi takes centre stage among FIAT'S exhibits with a 2.0-litre JTD common-rail diesel producing 109hp at 4,000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1,750rpm. Making its first appearance at a British event, it will replace the 1.9TD Scudo in early summer.

A version which produces 94hp at 4,000rpm, and 214Nm of torque at 1,750rpm, is deployed in standard Scudo vans and platform-cabs.

• PEUGEOT is showing off HDi common-rail versions of its Partner and Expert vans. and Citroen is planning to do the same thing with its Berlingo and Dispatch. The Partner and Berlingo are virtually the same bar their badges, while the Scudo, Expert, and Dispatch all share the same styling.

Peugeot is putting the longpromised 1.9-litre diesel 206 Van into production at last and is showing off an example. It is positioned close to an Expert Combi taxi conversion.

• CITROEN is extolling the virtues of its latest Relay 1800 X17 17-seater minibus. It comes with three-point, height

adjustable seatbelts and is constructed to comply with M2 safety standards.

Citroen reckons that with a price from 216,695 (ex-VAT), it's the most competitively priced 17-seater on sale in Britain today. The Relay was facelifted last September, as were Fiat's Ducato and Peugeot's Boxer; once again, all three models share the same design.

II A common theme among light commercial manufacturers is the need to sell chassis cabs complete with ready-to-go-to-work bodywork packages. RENAULT is a good example and it is displaying a Master chassis cab with a box body; a Master double cab with a tipper body; and a Master converted into a minibus.

• VAUXHALL is putting its corporate weight behind a Movano chassis with a Hawson Garner box body; another example with an Ingimex dropside body; and a third with an aerodynamically styled Luton, courtesy of Anglian.

Visitors with pickup fixations will get their kicks from a special edition Brava. it's finished in grey and red and graced by a colour-keyed grille and bumpers, chrome exterior door handles, alloy wheels, side steps and tinted green glass.

• VOLKSWAGEN is celebrating this year's 50th anniversary of the launch of the legendary rear-engined Transporter with a special edition of today's offering. The Transporter 1000 is kitted out with alloy wheels and electric windows; power comes courtesy of a 68hp 1.9litre TDI diesel. • ISM TRUCK (UK) can usually be relied upon to strike fear into the hearts of other exhibitors, as anybody who recalls its deployment of 'Boysie' from TV's ever-green Only Fools and Horses at one IRTE show will testify.

Its presence at the NEC this year may be a little more muted; but don't bank on it. All five of its exhibits are painted silver; they include an NQR 7.5-tonner-based Monic 4000 roadsweeper with Scarab Omnidrive hydrostatic transmission.

E It's too early for LOY to be displaying the new range of light commercials it is developing in conjunction with Daewoo, but it may have a version of its current Convoy powered by liq uefied petroleum gas (LPG) to talk about. Vehicles on hand should include a Convoy HiLoader 3.5tonner equipped for use by glaziers with an exterior rack to transport large sheets of glass, internal racking, a roof rack and a heavy-duty front axle.

In a nod towards the burgeoning home delivery market, there's also a Convoy 3.5-tonner with a refrigerated box body. The package has been designed for Asda and several examples are on trial with the supermarket chain.

• TOYOTA has eight vehicles at the NEC, including an LPG Niece as well as a long-wheelbase example converted to refrigerated specifications by specialist GRP.

Another long-wheelbase Hiace is a 12-seater minibus conversion by Autotrim.

The selection of Hilux pickups includes a 4x2 equipped with a Swift Lift crane and a Tommy tail-lift from tipper bodybuilder Tipmaster, The London company distributes both of these products and is also exhibiting in is own right.