10 years of Opel Vauxhall Vivaro-build sees half-a-million Vauxhall/Opel light commercial vehicles leaving Luton’s production line

Spring 2001 saw the first Vauxhall Vivaro rolling off Luton’s assembly line and 10 years later, in the summer of 2011, half a million Opel/Vauxhall Vivaros have been built at the plant.

The Vivaro comes in many variants such as panel van, double cab, chassis cab, drop side plus combi and bus passenger vehicles, all of which can be further tailored by the plant’s own conversion centre.



“The Vivaro enjoys a huge success not only in the UK but also in Europe. The van is built to high quality standards and ensures an economical and comfortable ride whilst offering an impressive and practical loading space,” says Mark Stein, Vauxhall’s Luton plant director.

The van’s popularity is also reflected in the Vivaro’s market share which, in its segment, amounts to almost 10 percent in Europe and 18 percent under the Vauxhall brand in the UK.

The production of the second generation Vivaro was announced earlier this year to start in the beginning of 2014 in Luton, thus making the largest van manufacturing operation in the UK one of the most secure employers in the country.

| Vauxhall

New Citroen Tubik: the A-Team van for the future

With the launch of its Mulicity portal, CITROËN established itself as a facilitator of mobility. Today, continuing its research in this field, it is exploring a new area. Drawing upon its expertise and the best “Créative Technologie”, CITROËN has developed Tubik, a high-tech executive shuttle based on one key idea: travel should be fun. Come with us on a shared, intelligent, connected and eco-friendly journey!



Today, it is journey time rather than distance that is important. In the modern world, information travels faster than people, the same journey can be made using a multitude of different means of transport, and consumers are looking first and foremost for an easy way of getting around. In consequence, the challenge for vehicle manufacturers is to develop solutions tailored to the mobility issues of the future. The Multicity project is the result of studies carried out by CITROËN on mobility. This project is already a reality with the launch in France of CITROËN Multicity, an online portal and routefinder that covers all available means of transport (car, train, plane, etc.) to make travelling easier.

Citroën Tubik

Today, the Multicity project is moving into its next phase with a new solution: Tubik, a concept car designed to make travel meaningful again.







| Citroën | Images gallery

Mercedes-Benz presents the luxury van Viano Vision Pearl

With the Viano Vision Pearl showcar, which will be presented at this year's International Motor Show (IAA) in September, Mercedes-Benz demonstrates what is possible in the van sector. A full leather interior in white/grey, wood floor, brushed aluminium trim, chromatically tinting windows and the Bang & Olufsen high-end sound system "BeoSound Viano" make a journey in the Viano Vision Pearl a memorable experience for up to six occupants.

The design concept is takes its inspiration from that of modern sporting yachts, with the theme of travel as an experience. The onboard W-LAN connectivity caters for the needs of modern, mobile individuals. For ther exterior design, Mercedes-Benz has for the first time in the van sector used the paint finish "magno pearl grey", a matt, pebble-grey colour. The stylistically revised front end of the Viano with its integrated LED daytime running lamps gives the van a more sporty, powerful appearance.


The way is the goal: driving experience meeting the highest expectations
Mobility is nowadays more experience-oriented. Most people no longer travel somewhere just to relax and enjoy themselves. Car or motorcycle tours, cruises, sailing trips or trekking tours - the travelling time itself becomes part of the experience. Mercedes-Benz reflects this trend with the Viano Vision Pearl. "We want to show what can be done with the Viano. The Viano Vision Pearl is not merely a functional van, but also a stylishly designed living space," says Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. "We have created a vehicle which combines generous spaciousness with an impressive design. Anybody who attaches importance to stress-free and at the same time stylish travel will find that the Viano Vision Pearl is the ideal companion. The interior design and technical features make the Viano Vision Pearl the S-Class among vans."

Generous spaciousness combined with impressive interior design
The interior of the Viano Vision Pearl is not so much a functional space for passenger transport, but rather a living space
The name Vision Pearl emphasises both the design concept and the repositioning of the Viano: the Viano of the future is the perfect travelling companion, and in this version it conveys a modern, maritime theme.

Impressive listening experience with Bang & Olufsen "BeoSound Viano" high-end sound system
The Viano Vision Pearl is rounded off by the Bang & Olufsen sound system. Mercedes-Benz has worked together with this world-renowned manufacturer of audio systems since 2009, and integrates the high-end sound systems into passenger cars such as the S-Class.

Thanks to the very high output of 1320 watts (the S-Class has 1200 watts) and 18 integrated, specially hand-built loudspeakers, the vehicle occupants are treated to an outstanding listening experience.

The Viano Vision Pearl is stylishly discreet where the outside world is concerned: as the loudspeakers are located in their own housings, very little sound volume escapes to the outside.

| Mercedes-Benz

New Vauxhall Corsavan

Vauxhall’s new Corsavan ecoFLEX, the Luton-based manufacturer’s most economical commercial vehicle ever, is top of the small van pack offering class-leading CO2 emissions of just 95g/km.

The Corsavan 1.3 CDTi 16v (95PS) ecoFLEX Start/Stop achieves the sub-100g/km figure through a host of efficiency improvements including a variable geometry turbocharger, lowered chassis, aerodynamic wheel covers and optimised gear ratios with a ‘shift up’ indicator. These upgrades help the Corsavan ecoFLEX achieve Euro 5 compliancy as well as an impressive 78.3mpg on the combined cycle and 65.6mpg urban driving.



“It’s great news that the Corsavan ecoFLEX is top of its class for CO2 emissions,” said Steve Bryant, Vauxhall’s Commercial Vehicle Brand Manager. “Griffin-badged vans are well known for their low running costs and Vauxhall’s most economical commercial vehicle ever is further proof of this.”

The new Coravan ecoFLEX model is priced at £13,048.33 on-the-road and orders can be placed from 11th July.

| Vauxhall

100,000th van rolls out by SoVAB plant of Renault

The 100,000th big van rolled out of Renault's SoVAB plant (Société de Véhicules Automobiles de Batilly) in eastern France on Monday, July 11. The landmark figure speaks volumes for the vehicle's success, and orders for Renault Master have increased by 40 percent compared to the same period in 2010. The brand's 14 percent share of Europe's big van market up to end-May 2011 represents a rise of two points and 16 percent over the first five months of 2010. And this success isn't restricted to Europe either, since it is mirrored in the Euromed[1] region where the vehicle enjoys a market share of 17.9 percent (up 49 percent).

The SoVAB plant has pulled out all the stops to meet this growing demand which has resulted in full order books. Production rates have risen sharply, while 90 people were taken on during the first half of the year, allowing the factory to run two-and-a-half shifts. Everything is now in place for the unprecedented production rate of 600 vehicles per day to be reached by the last quarter of 2011.



"A remarkable team effort"
From New Master's launch to the availability of all 350 versions of the van in all its markets took a little more than one year, a remarkably short period of time given the immense challenge it represented in manufacturing terms. Indeed, while the broad variety of variants means that the needs of business customers are comprehensively covered, it has naturally made production more complex. "All those involved in the project produced a remarkable team effort," says Pierre Monflier, Factory Director. "Their unfailing commitment and motivation enabled us to make all 350 variants of New Master available in time. That's an achievement we can be proud of, and our biggest reward is the response of our customers which has resulted in full order books."

"The Renault network is a big plus!"
The 100,000th vehicle was delivered to the Colas Group which took delivery of its New Master at SoVAB's premises on Monday, July 11. Philippe Brissonneau, the Group's Equipment Director, explained his firm's choice of a New Master chassis cab which will go on to be converted into a dropside platform by Renault Tech: "We have worked with Renault for some years. Indeed, Renault is a fairly straightforward choice because our activity calls for reliable vehicles which match our needs at the lowest possible price. Renault has always met those requirements. We are convinced that this New Master will be even better than its predecessor, which is a vehicle we know very well. Being able to depend on Renault's network is obviously a big plus, too!"

Renault Master: an office on wheels
New Master is the third generation of Renault's big van. In addition to the range's breadth, the model features extensively revised, robust styling and sharply lower running costs (down 40 percent), thanks notably to the fuel efficiency of the new M9T engine which is made in Cléon, France. New Master is also more driver-friendly, while work has gone into stowage solutions and innovations like pivoting and retractable tables, Carminat TomTom Live navigation and Bluetooth connectivity that make the cabin a genuine office on wheels.

In addition to New Master's success with its customers, the model has also been acclaimed by the trade's professionals:

- Business Vehicle of the Year 2011 (L’Automobile et Entreprise, France).
- Utility Vehicle of the Year 2011 (L’Argus, France).
- Van of the Year 2011 in Denmark and Lithuania.
- Van of the Year 2011 (What Van?, Great Britain)
- Van of the Year 2010 (Van Fleet World Honours, UK).
- Transporter of the Year 2010 (Kep, Germany).

THE SOVAB FACTORY (Société des Véhicules Automobiles de Batilly)

- Established in France's Meurthe et Moselle region in 1979.
- 2,350 staff with unlimited-term contracts (as of May 31, 2011)
- 1,802,410 vehicles manufactured since 1980.
- The factory has manufactured Masters since the model's first generation in 1980
- It is the only factory to produce New Renault Master.
- SoVAB also assembles the New Opel Movano.

(1) Bulgaria, Maghreb nations, Romania, Turkey.

| Renault