As our Commercial Director, David Blackmore revealed in a previous blog from the NEC CV Show earlier this year, not all of our fleet work revolves around cars at Fleet Alliance – a significant part of our business is in commercial vehicles too.

Earlier this summer, we helped CET, which provides specialist outsource services to the insurance and construction markets, replace the majority of its 70 commercial vehicle fleet in one go.

So I thought it would be a good idea to pop along to the German city of Hanover for the IAA 2016, which was held a couple of weeks back in September, to have a look at what the big van makers would be launching in 2017.

Germany is a long way to go, so to save you the shoe leather, here’s my top five from the show – which includes a completely new brand to the light commercial vehicle world.

Ford Transit six-speed auto

2016 has certainly been the year for the evergreen Transit, with the launch of greener, more efficient 2.0-litre EcoBlue versions of the Transit and Transit Custom. To strengthen the Transit’s position further, particularly for operators in urban environments, Ford released SelectShift auto versions at the show. Perfect for delivery drivers, it has six-gears and is able to tell when the van is on a hill or carrying a load and change gear accordingly. This auto box will be available on 130 and 170bhp versions of the EcoBlue engine.

MAN TGE

Not heard of the MAN brand before? No surprise as the German brand, part of the Volkswagen Group, is better known for building trucks rather than vans. But now it’s having a stab at the van market and the TGE, revealed at the IAA, is the result. And if you think the TGE has more than a passing resemblance to the all-new Volkswagen Crafter then you’d be absolutely right. The MAN TGE is effectively a lightly reworked version of Volkswagen’s big van, that’s just been announced as Van of The Year 2017. You’ll have to wait until late next year for the TGE to be available over here.

Nissan NV300

Replacement for the former Primastar, the Nissan NV300 was revealed at the IAA. Revised nose aside, you’ll have probably spotted the similarity between the new Nissan, the Fiat Talento, Renault Traffic and Vauxhall Vivaro – because it’s basically the same van. In fact, the only key difference over rivals, has to be the long five-year warranty – which might swing the deal!

Renault Alaskan

Finally shown in the metal at the IAA, is Renault’s new pick-up alternative, the Alaskan. It certainly looks the part, with the Renault family nose seamlessly grafted on to the current Nissan Navara body. Underneath the looks, though, it’s all Nissan. But great to have this alternative pick-up choice available to customers.

Volkswagen Crafter

 

The new Volkswagen Crafter was probably the ‘big’ van of the show, having its debut at the IAA 2016. Gone are the boxy looks and shared Mercedes Sprinter underpinnings, to be replaced by a unique chassis and curvier, sleeker style. These all add up to the Crafter being the sleekest van in its class with a Cd of just 0.33.

Underneath the curvy body, there’s a choice of four versions of the familiar 2.0-litre TDI diesel in 100, 120, 138 and bi-turbo 175bhp outputs. Coupling with the four different engines, new Crafter buyers will have the choice of manual or automatic transmissions, with front, rear or four-wheel drive. The big news is three different vehicle lengths, depending on model and three different roof heights.

Volkswagen will also be offering a range of specialist body styles from the Polish factory to suit particular needs.

Hanover Show’s top five vans

As our Commercial Director, David Blackmore revealed in a previous blog from the NEC CV Show earlier this year, not all of our fleet work revolves around cars at Fleet Alliance – a significant part of our business is in commercial vehicles too. Earlier this summer, we helped CET, which provides specialist outsource services to … Continued

Five road cars to scorch the British Grand Prix

Are you a bit of a motorsport fan? Yup, count me in. So this weekend is something of a highlight as Hamilton and Rosberg renew their tempestuous rivalry when the F1 circus makes its annual pilgrimage to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on Sunday. It should be a fabulous event, with Hamilton honing in … Continued

Five reasons why you’ll want to go to Goodwood

June. It’s a great month for sporting events: there’s the Euros of course, but June traditionally means Queen’s Club tennis; Royal Ascot, and that other social staple of the month – Goodwood. This week Lord March’s West Sussex estate again plays host to the largest UK celebration of all things automotive. Brilliant! The theme is … Continued

My five five-star Chinese crackers from the Beijing Show

My five five-star Chinese crackers from the Beijing Show  So the Motorshow merry-go-round has moved on to China and the capital Beijing. But, it’s not all about the home-grown copycat car makers (although, I admit from what I’ve seen of the show coverage there were still some odd cars!) – the Chinese market is critical … Continued

The can’t miss stars of the CV Show

You might think that most of our fleet work revolves around cars – but we also do a significant amount of commercial vehicles. Our most recent account partner is the Bristol-based catering equipment company Nisbets, whom we now supply with a mixed fleet of cars and commercials. So with the CV Show in full swing … Continued

Five fab cars from Geneva 2016

IT’S that time of the year again when manufacturers decamp to the home of cuckoo clocks and chocolate and wheel out the hottest new metal they think is going to be big in 2016 and beyond. Anyway, I’ve saved you the shoe leather of wandering around the Palexpo site and picked out what I think … Continued

A date with the Detroit Auto Show

We’re staying Stateside for my second blog of 2016. And with good reason. It’s the Detroit Auto Show. The weather as usual was bitterly cold in Detroit this January. But the outlook for new cars in 2016 was decidedly warmer, with European manufacturers debuting new cars which are sure to have an impact on the … Continued

My top 5 new car technologies from the CES show

CES or the Consumer Electronics Show is the show for all who work with business or consumer technologies. Held in Las Vegas every January, it’s the place for new innovations and breakthrough technologies for the last 40 years. You’ve probably seen reports on the TV about some of the amazing inventions potentially coming our way. … Continued

Take the ordinary and make it whacky. That’s SEMA

I love this US motor show, the show that celebrates car modifications in style – the 2015 Speciality Equipment Market Association show. Or SEMA, based – where else? – but Las Vegas. With many of the big US manufacturers taking the opportunity to bring along concepts where flared wheel arches, outrageous spoilers, custom paintjobs and … Continued

Five favourites from Tokyo

It’s November and we might be on the run down to 2016, but the good ship motor show displays no sign of slowing down and has most recently put down anchor in the land of the rising sun – at Tokyo. I always like the Tokyo Motor Show – it usually reveals some wild and … Continued