Renault launches updated Trafic van

Renault has updated its Trafic van, which now gets a revised dashboard and enhanced equipment.The interior now gets an A4 document holder at the top of the centre consol, storage slot above the glovebox (on versions without passenger airbag) and a new centrally-positioned stowage spaces.
The instrument panel now incorporates a redesigned hood to improve the visibility and legibility of the information display. The warning lights have been repositioned, again to improve visibility.

New equipment includes:
o Automatic climate control across the light commercial and passenger-carrying range
o Carminat TomTom® navigation incorporating IQ Routes™* technology, the best-value integrated navigation system on the market.
o A new range of audio systems with radio CD MP3 player with a more clearly visible remote display, USB connectivity and Bluetooth telephone connectivity with audio streaming.
o Cruise control and speed limiter with controls located on the steering wheel. The on-off button is conveniently located on the dashboard for easier activation.

On commercial versions of New Trafic the fuel consumption of the 2.0 dCi 115hp engine with manual gearbox is slashed by 4.2mpg and CO2 emissions drop by 19g/km to 195g/km.

Renault Launches Larger Kangoo

Renault has launched an enlarged version of its Kangoo van, called the Maxi. The new version is almost 40cm longer than Kangoo Van and boasts an additional cubic metre of load volume.
Extended by 39cm, the new model is available as either a two-seater or a five-seater. It offers a useful load volume of up to 4.6m3 and a maximum load length at floor level of 2.9 metres, as well as featuring a more modular interior.

With an overall length of 4.60 metres, Kangoo Van Maxi is 384mm longer than Kangoo Van. All of this extra length is contained within the 3.1 metre wheelbase.
Boasting an extra cubic metre of load volume over and above that of Kangoo Van, the new model’s load capacity rises all the way to 4.6m3, for a payload of 800kg. In terms of towing capacity it can handle a braked trailer weight of 1.05 tonnes.

New van registrations look to be bottoming out in January

New van registrations look to be bottoming out, with just a 1.7% fall for January, however with just 11,546 vehicles sold it’s hard to see it getting any worse. Nissan took the biggest hit with a drop of 73.4% for the month, followed by heavy hitters Ford and Vauxhall with 16.9% and 16.8% respectively. Mercedes achieved the biggest success with an increase of 73.9% thanks to some rather large fleet deals.

“New van and truck registrations continue to reflect a weak economic recovery and businesses reluctant to commit to new investment,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. It is extremely important that government uses the upcoming Budget to encourage new investment in capital goods and help re-build business confidence.”

Manheim Auctions says its January light and heavy commercial vehicle sales got off to strong start for the year, despite the weather. Its auction halls had 40% more physical and online buyers in January compared with the previous month.

The biggest increase was the for the buyers use of Simulcast, Manheim Auctions' live online broadcast of its physical auctions. Double cab 4x4s, Transit panel vans and tippers have been in particular demand.

Ford Transit in drifting debacle, most impressive says Ultimate Van Blog

Ultimate Van Blog believes there are two types of people in the this world, those that are aroused by a drifting Ford Transit, and those that are not. UVB sits in the first camp, naturally, and would contest that it's a harder task to achieve than when driving a car

However having left the back doors open on the previous attempt, and in the process leaving the family's Xmas presents rolling around the A3, watching is currently more appealing than taking part, particularly as UVB found all the locks on the house had been changed in the New Year...

Van jump part 2 - the revenge, or something like that

If you're anything like Ultmate Van Blog, you'll have always wanted to jump a Bedford Rascal. There's something about this little van that makes you want to launch it in some capacity, whether firing it out a cannon, or hitting at ramp with a strong wind behind you.

Second-hand van prices continue to rise

Average second-hand van values continued to rise in December according to British Car Auctions (BCA).Buyers continued to compete strongly for commercial stock right through to the year-end

Second-hand van values continue to rise

Average second-hand van values continued to rise in December according to British Car Auctions (BCA).Buyers continued to compete strongly for commercial stock right through to the year-end


Buyers continued to compete strongly for commercial stock right through to the year-end. Over £100 was added to average van prices during the month as the £4,000 watershed was breached for the first time on record.
Average values increased from £3,902 to £4,008 to establish a new high point for LCVs. The rise of £106 was equivalent to a 2.7% increase – and marked the end of a year that saw average values start below £3,000 in January and end above £4,000 in December. Over the year values increased by 37% - a result of both how strong the demand was in 2009 and how far prices had collapsed over the previous year.

BCA’S Duncan Ward commented “In review, 2009 has recovered all of the ground lost in 2008 and a little bit more. It seemed that values might have peaked in September, but high demand kept prices firm in the run-up to Christmas, breaking records on the way.”

He added “With small businesses being significant buyers in the used commercial market, this suggests that confidence is returning to the SME sector and reflects the news that the UK officially came out of recession in the final quarter of 2009.”

According to BCA, model mix was broadly the same in December as the previous month, and there were reduced numbers of higher value nearly-new vans for the second month running. Volumes were slightly down on November as would be expected in a short working month.

Despite the average price increase, performance against CAP continued to fall for the third straight month, settling at 95.21% and representing another three points off last months average. Overall CAP performance has fallen by nearly 10 points since September.
The year-on-year price differential increased again, with December 09 values ahead by a resounding £1,236 – the biggest year-on-year margin on record - and reflecting both the strong performance in December 2009 and just how weak the LCV sector was generally during 2008.