Vauxhall show off their latest Vivaro Surf Concept van
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Vauxhaull are getting geared up for the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show with their announcement that they will be showing off their new version of the Luton-built Vivaro - the Vivaro Surf Concept.
The new vehicle is built to offer seating space for five to six passengers (depending on seat configuration). Inside you'll find the Surf concept to be spacious, the doublecab van offers 3.2cu m in it's cargo area, 4.0cu m in the long wheelbase version!
A 1.6-litre CDTi (140PS) BiTurbo engine offers 340Nm of torque and up to 46.31mpg thanks to it's ecoFLEX Start/Stop engine.
Steffen Raschig, Vauxhall director commercial vehicles has said that, "The Vivaro Surf Concept is the ideal vehicle for large families or groups of friends”.
"The close-to-production concept offers space for up to six passengers with its crew cab. There is a large cargo area with numerous practical details behind the second row of seats. The sporty styling on the outside and numerous comfort features along with the ultra-modern IntelliLink system on the inside make it an elegant roomy van. The Vivaro Surf Concept is the perfect alternative for people who need more than a passenger car but do not want to miss out on the usual comfort."
It has been strongly hinted at by Vauxhall that this isn't merely a concept van and that it could in fact be released as a special edition vehicle.
UK Van sales bounce back
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Despite a slight recession in van industry sales back in July the UK's commercial vehicle market accelerated in August.
After having dropped by one per cent in July, van registrations rose by 14.3 per cent in August alone, proving that the Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) Mike Hawes' statement that, "Demand is still at a very high level" back in July was correct and that the dip was an anomaly.
Hawes also commented that, "With certainty now restored, fleet renewal patterns are returning to normal, buoyed by the continuing growth in demand for online deliveries." The continued rise in commercial vehicle registrations is showing a return to form and is expected to continue to show strong growth in the upcoming months.
Mercedes-Benz are celebrating the Sprinter van's 20th anniversary
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Mercedes-Benz are getting ready to celebrate the Sprinter van's 20th anniversary by releasing a 'Sprinter 20th Anniversary' edition.
Originally released back in April 1995 the Sprinter has sold more than 327,201 units in the UK (figures correct up to June 2015) with 69,457 of those being the Sprinter 313 CDI MWB.
The Sprinter is used by a wide range of businesses from home delivery services such as Ocado, Sainsbury's, Iceland, DPD, DHL and Yodel as well as construction companies like HSS Hire and A-Plant.
More than 250,000 Sprinters that have been sold are panel vans with 71,769 chassis cab variants making up the remainder. Up to 745 vans can be built a day at the Sprinter factory in Düsseldorf - that's 214,560 vehicles that can be produced a year!
Mercedes are reportedly going to produce a maximum of 1.200 special edition 20th Anniversary vehicles with each vehicle sporting a 'Sprinter 20' badge on the front wing. Also available as an added option is the a 'bespoke option bundle' consisting of air conditioning, satellite navigation, a chrome grille, wheel trims and driver's comfort seat armrest - Mercedes state that these added options are worth £2,000 but will be priced at just £750.
Currently the most mileage on a Sprinter in the UK is 995,242 miles, this vehicle was registered in January 1999, closely following this is a vehicle that was registered in November 2005 and has clocked up an impressive 964,436 miles.
Owners of older Volkswagen vans are being offered free roadside assistance
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Do you own a Volkswagen Commercial vehicle that's 10 years old or less?
If you need a full or interim service performed on your van then take it down to a Volkswagen Van Centre for the service and be given a years free Volkswagen Roadside Assistance within the UK - for FREE!
Qualifying customers will receive a roadside package worth £99 per year, which gives VW van owners access to a dedicated group of 90 Volkswagen Group trained support technicians as well as full support from the AA roadside team.
Now customers can rest easy knowing that (if need be), they can call on the support of dedicated Volkswagen technicians who are equipped with the latest in diagnostic equipment and specialist Volkswagen tools and parts.
Volkswagen Roadside Assistance customers will also benefit from the AA roadside service package which includes; recovery to home or an appropriate repairer if the vehicle is not fixable roadside, onward travel for up to seven passengers, European cover and AA's Home Start service.
UK van industry sales have slipped
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Van sales have slipped back slightly in July, with a fall of just under one per cent.
This one per cent drop marks the first time in 2015 that van registrations have declined. However as a whole the CV market climbed 3.7 per cent in July with 24,546 registered that month. Resulting with van registrations up 17 per cent year-to-date.
Mike Hawes the Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) has said, "Demand is still at a very high level, with year-to-date van registrations up 17 per cent as confident businesses continue to invest in their fleets and capitalise on the ongoing trend for home deliveries."
Ford had the most vehicle registrations during July with a share of 26.6 per cent of the market while Volkswagen claimed 15.3 per cent followed by; Vauxhall on 12.2 per cent, Mercedes on 8.4 per cent, Citroen and Peugeot took 8.4 and 8.3 per cent respectively.
