Leyland Daf decision time
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• Leyland Daf will have to make a decision soon over the make-up of the project to replace the long-serving Freight Rover Sherpa.
Leyland-Daf president Art Van der Padt has confirmed that the company is looking for much higher volumes — approaching 50,000 vehicles a year instead of the present 20,000 — from the FR plant at Common Lane in Birmingham. That means, he says, that there will probably be some form of co-operation between FR and another manufacturer.
So far, however, no partner or collaborator has been settled on, and time is fast running out on the Sherpa replacement schedule if such a partner is to have a meaningful involvement in the design and development of the new vehicle. Van der Padt says that such involvement is vital if the co-operation between two companies on a project like the Sherpa is to be successful, so a decision should be made within months.
A fortnight ago Leyland Daf dismissed as "pure speculation" rumours that Freight Rover and Renault were developing a joint van project which would replace the Sherpa, Trafic and Master ranges.