Ford springs a surprise with new Fiesta van

Ford grabbed the headlines at Hanover with the surprise unveiling of an all-new Fiesta van. It will provide strong competition for the Vauxhall Corsavan and Peugeot 207.

The Fiesta van will be launched in the first quarter of 2009. It offers a load-carrying capacity of 1 cu m.

New Fiesta is less boxy than the old model, but this has not compromised the interior load dimensions. Load length is 1,292mm; maximum width is 1,278mm and height is 936mm. The critical between-the-wheel arches dimension is 1,004mm. The load area is separated from the driver’s cab by a half-height bulkhead.

It’s also very clean, with CO2 emissions of just 110g/km, and economy of 67.3mpg from the smaller of the two turbodiesel engines on offer – the 68PS 1.4-litre. There's also a 90PS 1.6 and an 82PS, 1.25-litre 16v petrol engine.

The advanced technology of the new Fiesta car is transferred across. This includes electric power steering and electronic brakeforce distribution with emergency brake assist. Other features include the Ford EasyFuel capless refuelling system: it prevents filling up with the wrong fuel. Pic: United Pictures.

Green issues dominate show

Green thinking was inevitably one of the main themes of just about every manufacturer’s display at Hanover.

The most impressive initiative came from Mercedes-Benz, whose ‘Shaping Future Transportation’ display featured hybrids: a plug-in hybrid Sprinter van; and a high-efficiency concept diesel van, the Vito BlueEfficiency (pictured).

This features an economical six-speed transmission, stop-start function, and aerodynamic improvements. It uses 1.5 litres less fuel per 100km than a standard Vito. And cuts 40g/km off the vehicle’s CO2 emissions.

Volkswagen is also incorporating fuel-efficient diesels into its van range. The Crafter BlueMotion Studie is a 3.5-tonne van with VW’s latest Euro 5-compliant diesel engines. Fuel economy is 31.04mpg.

Nissan is also working on improving fuel economy of its vans. “We’ll be launching two mass-market hybrid light commercial vehicles by 2012,” said Andy Palmer, Nissan’s global van marketing chief.

A hybrid version of the Cabstar light truck was unveiled. This offers a 30% reduction in CO2 and fuel economy compared to a conventional diesel Cabstar. The hybrid system has been developed with transmission specialist ZF. “It is designed for urban areas where stop-start driving is the norm,” said Palmer. Pic: United Pictures.

4x4 panel vans - a new niche?

As the van market fragments, manufacturers are looking for new niches. And an emerging niche at Hanover seems to be all-wheel drive panel vans. Ford announced the Transit AWD. This marries an all-wheel drive system to a 140PS 2.4-litre TDCi diesel and a six-speed manual transmission. It is available for all different body styles, roof heights and wheelbases on Transits in the 3.3 to 3.5-tonne weight class.

Volkswagen also revealed a 4x4 panel van, based on the Caddy compact van (pictured). The Caddy 4MOTION has VW’s acclaimed permanent all-wheel drive system, which uses an electronically controlled Haldex gearbox. The van is powered by a 105PS four-cylinder turbodiesel, with maximum torque of 250Nm.

Citroen puts extra length into Berlingo

Citroen showed the extended-body version of the new Berlingo. It’s a pretty simple solution. There's an extra ‘plug’ in the rear overhang, on to which the normal doors and rear lights are attached. The extension increases interior volume from 3.3cu m to 3.7cu m, and that can be increased to 4.1cu m with the Extenso folding front passenger seat.

F-A-B – Nissan NV200 is go!

Nissan’s NV200 concept van was one of the undoubted stars of the Hanover Show – and designer Ryoichi Kuraoka found an unlikely inspiration for its innovative demountable pod system. “It’s based on Thunderbird 2, the one with the pod,” he said.

The inspiration isn’t recent either. Kuraoka has been with Nissan since 1981 – his CV includes the 1992 Micra hatchback – and he’s been a fan of the puppet sci-fi series since the 1960s, when he saw episodes on Japanese TV as a boy.

Sadly, cost rules out putting into production the ‘pod’ body of the concept (pictured). This slides out on rails and is supported by fold-down legs. But the NV200 will go into production. It will replace the Renault Kangoo-based Kubistar before the end of 2009.

It’ll be called NV200 too, as part of a new branding philosophy for the Nissan LCV range, which was quietly introduced with the NP300 pick-up: NP means Nissan Pick-up; NV Nissan Van. Pic: United Pictures

Battery-powered electric Maxus

LDV unveiled a battery-electric version of the Maxus chassis-cab. It is powered by lithium-ion batteries mounted in packs inside the chassis frame (pictured).

These give a range of more than 90 miles on a single four-hour charge, a top speed of 56mph and a payload of 1,446kg. The battery packs are good for 2,000 charge cycles – about five to six years. A battery leasing scheme will bring cost-of-ownership down. The electric Maxus is already on trial with a number of operators, including a major home delivery company.

Peugeot Expert pick-up from Durisotti

French body conversion specialist Durisotti has turned the Peugeot Expert panel van into this smart-looking pick-up. It was shown as a concept on the Peugeot stand. But it could easily be produced at Durisotti’s factory in Lens, northern France. Durisotti has carried out similar conversions on other French vans, including the old-generation Expert and the Renault Kangoo. The Expert pick-up is based on a 2.0-litre HDi 120 van. It has a payload of 1,335kg. Pic: United Pictures

Partner gets all-wheel drive

Peugeot has employed French 4x4 conversion specialist Automobiles Dangel to create an all-wheel drive version of the latest Partner compact van. Dangel has been producing 4x4 versions of PSA vehicles for many years, including 504 pick-ups and off-road versions of the old-style Partner/Berlingo.

Iveco Daily goes electric

A zero-emissions battery electric version of the Iveco Daily panel van was launched. It's part of Iveco’s enviro-drive. CEO Paolo Monferino said Iveco was well on the way to meeting Euro 6 standards, expected around 2014. Iveco is focusing on HGV conversions – but Monferino believes hydrogen power is “no nearer to a reality than it was 20 years ago”. So the company’s green initiatives are focused elsewhere.

And now for something very different…

Here’s a blast from the past – but perhaps not as far back as you might think. It looks like a van from the 1920s. But in fact it was built in the 1980s. It’s a British-built Fleur de Lys van, made by the same people who made Fleur de Lys pies, and based on Ford Transit running gear. For a while, there was a major craze for ‘replica vans’. They were made by Homark, Asquith and Ollerton as well as Fleur de Lys. This one’s still doing stalwart service in Germany, promoting Bahlsen biscuits and cakes. While it might not qualify as a genuine vintage van, it could be considered a classic…