Unique Auto

Posts Tagged ‘vans’

The government in the UK has stated that it is looking into the possibility of offing van owners a £1K to get rid of their old van a long as they are older than 9 years. This idea behind this is to replicate the success of their previous car-scrapping initiative that was also recently launched. Along with an injection of activity into the new-car market, there would also be a dramatic reduction in the amount of old and dangerous cars on the road. As there are around 4.6 million vans on the UKs roads that are older than 9 year, there is a strong argument to adopt the same approach for vans. Also new vans filter into the van lease market over time so there are knock on positive effects. So what are some of the main safety features that can be seen on modern vans?

stronger chassis qualities. Something that has been seen in almost all new vans is a dramatic increase the strength of chassis. Chassis that were once considered strong found themselves prone to erosion and broke down over time, risking both driver and other road users. To combat this the new chassis are build of stronger alloys and are treated to resist rust and aging.

Impact airbags. Airbags have been around for quite a while now but where introduced into vans much later than their where in cars. Even then, for the majority of vans there were only front airbags placed in the steering wheel and maybe passage area. New vans tend to offer front, side and even impact airbags in the major cavities.

Electric handbrakes. As previous suggested, one of the main jobs of a van is to carry heavy cargo. Older vans were subject to handbrake failure quite frequently as they could not handle the strains they were subject to, leading to all sorts of accidents taking place. This was a particular issue with Citroen van leasing. Newer van models often come with electric handbrakes that lock on automatically and are more efficient so will reduce the wear they suffer.

For quality Mercedes van leasing go to The Van Warehouse

Thousands of jobs could potentially be spared at the van makers LDV if the government agree to a £5m bridging loan that would lead to further investment from overseas companies.

Although LDV and Citroen van leasing have been on the up recently, production at LDV has been put on hold since December last year as a result of reduced demand in the new van market. Workers there have also recently agreed to a pay cut of 10% and even a 3-day week in attempts to reduce outgoings at the plant. The originally request to the government from LDV was for £30m to keep production stable. This was not given buy the government initially but since LDV has reduced the amount they are asking for, the request is being reconsidered.

Over 800 jobs could be saved if the government decide to award the loan, as well as helping more than 6,000 workers are are affected along the supply chain. A number of investors from overseas are apparently looking to put money into the company if the government take action. These include one of the bidders who previously failed to secure Jaguar Land Rover, but also Mahindra and Mahindra, an Indian group who were in the running to purchase JLR and also a van leasing company a year ago but was eventually beaten by rival Asian conglomerate Tata.

Copies of the company accounts and business plans have been sent to the government and include a new concept for an ecological ‘green’ van. All the elements of the data will be looked into well by the government but the bosses at LDV seem optimistic. Erik Eberhardson, the chairman of LDV’s Russian owner Gaz, has already stated he is convinced the firm can be saved and a spokesman for LDV recently announced “This isn’t dead in the water. BERR has agreed to investigate all options, and the MBO team believe they have the best plan.”

It is common knowledge that the domain of the light commercial vehicle belongs firmly in the vice-like grip of the Ford Transit and has been for decades. There are, however, certain manufacurers that have emerged are doing all they can to topple the Transit’s stranglehold on the market. Amongst these competitive spirits are such respected manufacturers as Peugeot and Renault, there is one particular rival that seems to be making a very good case for themselves indeed. The manufacturer I am quite take with is Vauxhall.

Vauxhall have seen great success already with their range of vans, each designed to better suit a particular light commercial endeavour. The Vauxhall Movano is the biggest of the vans and is well suited to those who need to transport a large amount of tools or other haulage to complete their mandate. The Vauxhall Vivaro is more style orientated and perhaps the smaller and more mobile brother to the Movano. The Astravan and Corsavan are pretty self-explanatory and provide the small van suitable for the more fledgling business or the smaller end of a fleet.

What is impressive about the Vauxhall Van range is how they have taken everything that is desirable about the Ford Tranist and have added extra elements. For example; the Vivaro has all the practicality of the famous Transit, but has the updated looks and image that will appeal to business owners if they are keen to make a great impression on their clients. In turn, the Movano is available with various wheelbases, to help you make a more informed decision of what vehicle to buy based on the kind of strains that will be placed on your fleet.

 The Transit will continue to be a bestseller based upon its deserved legacy, but it is definitely worth at least investigating the Vauxhall range of Vans, as they will provide an excellent service to you and your business.

Nissan are planning on introducing their new van, the NV200, at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show. Nissan have said that the NV200 van has been designed from stage 1 for commercial and people carrier uses.

Nissan have created 3 different versions of the NV200, the Cargo, designed to carry as much as possible. There is the Combi version which is designed to carry both people and goods, and then finally there is the more plush version which can carry up to 7 passengers.

The NV200 is just over 173 inches long and has sliding doors, a 78.8 inch loading bay with side hinged back doors. The Cargo version can carry a maximum volume of 144.7 cubic feet. Nissan have said that the cargo version can carry 2 European standard sized pallets.

As for the Combi version, Nissan have said that the seats are non-removeable, however, they can fold away to allow you to carry extra goods. The passenger version comes with a top hinged tailgate, as does the Combi version, however, the Combi also comes with an option of either sliding or hinged side doors.

There are 2 available engines that you can choose from, the Nissan Micra’s 1.6 litre aluminium gasoline engine, or a Renault 1.5 litre diesel engine.

The inside of the NV200 comes with a few good features including a secret compartment in the top of the glove box to store electrical items and keep them out of view, although the compartment is not very secret if they tell everyone. There is also an optional rear view parking camera available which is said to be a first for this van market.

The NV200 is planned for release in its home country, Japan, around summer time and then set for around Europe in autumn, as for North America, Nissan have not yet comfirmed that it will be going on sale there.

However, due to the current global recession, will the NV200 be able to build up enough sales? Certainly people are looking less at buying new vans and cars at the moment, although, maybe the NV200 will prove to be a sucess in the van leasing market. There are also some great Mercedes van leasing offers flying around at the moment, that’s if you really need a van before the NV200.

If you own a business that requires delivering goods to your customers, when it comes to buying new delivery vans, you may have to hope that you have enough. Especially during the current global recession, it is becoming more difficult to keep your business going.

So there you are thinking, I need new delivery vans to keep my business going, but I don’t have enough money for the ones I want, there must be a way. Well, there is a cheaper and better way for you to get brand new vans at a smaller price. 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 the contract and pay the monthly fees, then, once your contract is over, if you choose to renew it, you can get a whole new vehicle. You can also get some packages which have vehicle maintenence cover thrown in, giving you one less thing yo think about.

You’re probably wondering where the catch is? But there isn’t one. Van leasing is simply the best way to get the latest vehicles, at reduced cost. Also, because they are the newest models, they won’t break down as much, giving you peace of mind that you have made the right choice. Aswell as that, when you buy a new car or van, they can quickly loose all their value, making you loose out when you have to sell them on, but with leasing, you have no problem with that because one your contract is over, you just give the car back.

Overall, it has to be the best way to get brand new vans for a smaller cost, especially when times are tight. So, what are you waiting for, there are some great Citroen, Ford, Nissan and Mercedes van leasing offers out there.

We all know the credit crunch has hit the world very hard, almost every industry has felt the wave of destruction that the financial down fall has brought to us. Saying this there are some industries that are being hurt more than others and this can with no comparison be said for the vehicle makers and dealer industry. The market is at its lowest point for decades with the sale of new cars dropping a dramatic amount.

Do now Lord Mandelson, the business secretary has gone in with a massive rescue out package of around 2.4 billion dollars. In the short term we will see a great postive effect, but I feel over the long term that we will see a bad situation arise.

Do not get me wrong I am all for bailing out successful companies that have misjudged the credit crunch and not financed around it, but I do not feel this is the same for most of the car industry. People are just not investing in vehicles. I say that if the item that a company is offering is not doing well than that surely is definatley down to the company not meeting the demands of the industry.

A huge majority of people these days do not want petrol eating machines such as the Jaguars for two reasons, firstly because people travel a lot and it will cost them an awful lot more and secondly is that they emit to much pollution to the globe hurting the OZone layer. So this is the true reason as to why these companies are struggling there products are just not upto scratch.

Althoughit is nice for people to bail out all these companies, in some ways I see the credit crunch as a positive ore. It will most probably forget all of the bad sections of over saturated markets and when this is all complete we may see a new positive breed of car manufacturers coming through, that could in fact reinvent the way we drive and look at vehicles, the new technology could end up taking us to new levels and making cars a lot safer and comfortable to take the wheel in.

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