It is believed that he was indeed a technical genius and was employed by a great number of car companies eg Austro-Daimler, Mercedes, Daimler-Benz to name but a few.

In 1930 he opened his own design bureau. In 1931 he asked his team of staff to start designing a car with a water cooled 3 cylinder engine. This should also have independent suspension and be capable of accommodating 4 adults. The main aim was to keep the expenditure as low as possible to make it affordable to the masses.

In 1932 he found a partner in Zundapp. Originally there were three prototypes were produced using his original design which was equipped with a new engine. Unfortunately however the engine turned out to have a severe cooling problem and melted after ten minutes of running. Zundapp decided to leave the project.

NSU a motor cycle manufacturer decided to join forces and a completely new cooled 4 cylinder engine was built. The engine was placed in the rear to avoid the traditional transmission with a separate gear box, drive shaft and rear axle. Unfortunately due to the economical climate in Germany at that time NSU decided to withdraw and Porche was once again on his own.

In 1933 at the Berlin Motor Show Adolf Hitler announced his plan to produce a small car for the people of Germany. Porche and Hitler were to join forces and a consequently a contract was signed in 1934. The prototypes were to be built by the RDA, which was the German Auto Manufacturers Association. RDA were shortly to realise that this project had a chance to be successful and this they did not want. They deliberately delayed the project making Porsche miss the deadline and thus made him lose his contract. Hitler however realised this and placed the entire project under government supervision. The 3 prototypes were delivered in 1936.

To this day the VW has remained almost identical in design. It has a reputation for being a highly reliable car and indeed Volkswagen van leasing is a very popular choice as they have such a solid history behind them.

van lease

It could be that time when the van needs to be maintained or replace to keep the business looking smart, but the cost maybe a worrry. There is another choice of the van owner to equip the business with up-to-date vehicles. Contract Van leasing is a great way for you or your business to get the latest vehicles to deliver your goods all for a monthly fee.

All you have to do is sign a contract for the van and just pay the monthly fees, and once your contract is over, if you renew it, you can get another brand new van. It is possible to get yourself a deal which includes all the maintenance of the vehicle, giving you one less thought to be worried about.

So where’s the catch, you may ask? But there is not one. Leasing or contract hire is a sound way to get the latest van or car for a smaller outlay. Also, because they are brand spanking new, they are unlikely to breakdown or go wrong in any way. Also, when you buy a new vehicle, there value can quickly depreciate, causing you to make a loss when it is time to sell it on. When you lease a van you don’t have these sorts of problems, because when the agreement time has expired, you simply return the vehicle. If you want do so, you can then select another vehicle and take out a brand new deal.

It has got to be the best and most cost effective way of getting the latest models for your business, especially during recessionary days. So, get out there and check out the latest deals in medium van leasing or perhaps pick up truck leasing that are on offer with some of the leading suppliers in the business.

In 1886 Benz built his first motorized tricycle. The 1st production car was the Benz Velo in 1894 which competed in the first recorded car race, Rouen to Paris. It was in 1895 that Benz built his first truck.

It is said that Daimler did not enjoy driving! In March 1990 he died which left overall control of the company to Wilhelm Mayback. By November of that year they had produced a special car, the Mercedes which was lighter and smaller than the average car of the day and was capable of reaching top speeds off 55mph.

At the start of the First World War both factories had to turn their skills to the production of war materials, although both of them reverted back to the production of cars after the war. However with fuel being scarce and a 15% luxury tax car production was affected badly.

The economy in Germany grew desperate and a new Mercedes Benz would cost as much as 25 million marks. It is interesting to note that 15 million cars were registered throughout the world in 1923 and over 80% of these were from the United Kingdom & were in fact Fords. The Mercedes was considered too expensive.

In 1926 a new insignia was designed in the form of a three pointed star wreathed with laurel to signify the merger of Benz and DMG.

In the 1930’s their biggest and most prestigious car was introduced, called the 770 Grosser and was powered by an 8 cylinder, 7.6 litre engine. The cars in this era produced great success on the racing circuits.

In 1945 after the war, the plant at Unterturkheim which had been bombed out had to put their car production on hold and instead produced trailers for bicycles instead.

However in 1946 the production of cars was resumed and by 1949 a diesel version of the 170 was being produced which became a best seller.

Alongside all of these elegant car models a number of vans have been produced which are used a great deal for Mercedes van leasing. One such van is the Mercedes Sprinter which has the reputation for being highly reliable and fairly economical.

By the 1990’s Mercedes became the first manufacturer in the world to fit a 4 valve diesel engine in a car. This new engine offers enhanced performance & smoothness which is all that the Mercedes name stands for.

van lease deals

Fiat is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Car Factory of Turin). 

Giovanni’s grandson Gianni then became chairman from 1966 until his demise in 2003. 

The first factory was opened in 1900 with 150 workers 

During the 1930’s trucks and commercial vehicles underwent considerable development and also the railway system and aviation sectors grew. 

In the war years there was a great reduction in the production of cars, whilst commercial vehicles grew considerably. Fiat made military vehicles for the Italian Army and Air Force. 

In 1945 the presidency of Fiat was taken over by Vittorio Valletta. 

In 1948 the plants that were destroyed in the war were completed and profits started to increase as did the number of employees. 

After the war Fiat introduced its very first tractor. 

Between 1957 and 1975 the popular Fiat 505 was produced. This was a cheap and very practical car and measured just 9 feet 9 inches long. It was powered by a small-scale 479cc 2 cylinder air cooled engine and was considered to be one of the first “city cars”. 

The Fiat was also rear engined exactly like the Volkswagen beetle. 

Despite its small-scale size the 500 proved very popular throughout Europe. 

Yield of the 500 ceased in 1975 and the Fiat 126 was introduced two years earlier. The 126 was never quite as popular although it was well known for its mechanical durability and saving. 

In 1978 the “Robogate” arrangement was created which was so named because of the new robotized system that was used for assembling the bodywork. 

In 1980 the Fiat Panda was born. Within the next two years the Fiat Uno was likewise introduced. In 1989 the Tipo was voted “Car of the Year” for its keen edge solutions. 

There have been several Fiat vans introduced which are highly popular for Fiat van leasing. These small, economic vehicles are perfect as a van to lease and are used frequently for catering and delivery vehicles. 

van lease

In 1913 he founded another company to make the best use of his patent for carburettors. In the beginning Citroen was influenced by the business methods of Henry Ford who utilised the assembly line as early as 1908 in the USA.

In 1915 at the start of war, Andre received a commission to make 7500 grenades. Citroen then convinced the Ministry of Defence that he could in fact deliver bigger quantities if produced industrially.

By 1919 the 1st “citroen car” was produced. It had a 4 cylinder engine and was capable of speeds of 65km/h. During the year 2,500 cars were produced. However the next year they were producing 20,200!

In 1921 the Citroen taxis made their entrance onto the streets of Paris.

Eleven years on at the beginning of 1932 the C4 and C6 were built with the “floating power” engine. The engine was made secure by rubber mounts in preference to being bolted to the chassis. This obviously eliminated a lot of the vibrations making it a more comfortable ride.

Around this time they started to produce toy cars for children, a very unusual idea!

However things took a turn for the worse after the Wall Street crash in October 1929. In 1933 their factories were rebuilt which meant a great expense. In April of that year there was a strike at the factory. Cars began to stop selling well abroad due to the exchange rates and restrictions against foreign products. By the end of the year they had amassed many debts.

By December 1934 the company was declared bankrupt. Citroen passed away the following year.

It was from here that the Michelin Company became involved financial help and so the name continues today.

There are still countless “citroens” on our roads today and many of these are used for van leasing.  It is often more viable to lease vans and indeed in years to come Citroen van leasing companies would be spread worldwide.

By 20 years old he remodelled his tricycle into a four wheeled car and added his new invention, the very first gear box.

His two brothers Fernand and Marcel established the Renault Brothers company in 1899.

It was through racing that the renault brothers became famous with Louis and Marcel doing the racing. They won a great many races one of the most important of which was the Paris to Vienna race won by Marcel in 1902.

Their sales in cars accelerated rapidly and they were sold at 3,000 francs each which is equal to 10 years average salary at that time. In 1902 they introduced the first saloon car and later that year the first Renault engine with four cylinders and 24 horse power. Not long after this the very first turbo engine was patented.

However in 1903 Marcel was tragically killed during a race from Paris to Madrid. He was just 31 years old. This was the end for Louis and it made him give up racing for good.

By 1919 the motor car in France was regarded as a great luxury and was massively taxed. Renault Louis reorganised his business and started to manufacture everything that had an engine from cars, vans, light commercial vehicles, buses, trucks etc. He managed to aquire his own foundries and ironworks which enabled him to reduce his dependence on other companies although he bought components when they were cheaper than he could manufacture himself.

In 1998 Renault celebrated its centenary by opening 2 major sites.
The Renault Technocentre near Paris was to be the driving force accommodating Renaults 6500 engineering and design personnel.
The Scenic bodywork assembly plant based in Brazil is a huge complex which includes a powertrain plant and also a light vehicle assembly plant.

I wonder if Louis Renault ever imagined right at the start when he converted his tricycle that his empire would grow into such a large industry. Nowadays it is often more viable to lease vans and indeed in years to come Renault van leasing companies would be spread worldwide.

In these difficult times, many small business owners rely on their van more than ever for transport or even as a portable office. Buying is an option, but far more predictable, reliable  and certainly less costly is looking at available van lease deals. You’ll get the latest modern van without the worries of paying upfront, and the chance to upgrade it to the latest model every three years.

Even if it’s a brand new, environmentally friendly van, they can still cause problems on the roads. Many would say it’s not unusual to find one blocking the road and when they are parked in small streets or residential areas it makes things very awkward for other drivers. What those complainers are forgetting is that so many of the services they rely on depends on a man in a van.For those who rely on their van in their everyday business life it’s hard to imagine how they’d be able to cope without it.

But for businesses that need to use vans, the maintenance and servicing costs can be a worry.It’s not surprising that most businesses running a small fleet of vans require the drivers to keep them at home, as it would be yet more costly to rent somewhere to keep them all on site. A far more viable option for these businesses would be to look at van lease contracts – if manageable monthly payments and always having the latest model wasn’t enough, many deals come with tax and servicing cost thrown in as well.