Cabinet reshuffle as votes pour in for Vauxhall vans

It’s a good job that Vauxhall’s vans are capable of carrying impressive payloads, as they’ve had to nip off to the DIY store to pick up a bigger trophy cabinet.

Another two pieces of silverware have joined the already impressive list of honours picked up by Vauxhall, and once again the British-built Vivaro and the Combo have taken the spoils.

Awarded by the Fleet World Group, the Van Fleet World Honours are presented annually to LCV manufacturers judged to have achieved the highest possible level of excellence in their sector, with a panel comprising leasing specialists, residual value experts, data analysts and leading LCV and fleet journalists.

The award for Best Medium Van went to the Luton-built Vivaro, underlining GM’s position as Britain’s biggest maker of light commercials.

Van Fleet World editor John Kendall said: “The design looks fresh and modern, there is a broad range of body styles offering body volumes in the 5.0 to 7.1 cubic metre range as well as chassis-cab models. Plus, payloads of 1,000kg and 1,200kg help to give a wide variety of choice for fleet users.”

Vauxhall also picked up the award for Best Light Van, with the evergreen Combo taking home the honours for the third time running.

John Kendall added: “Combo was Our Best Light Van for the past two years and we have no reason to change our minds this year. A ruling from HM Revenue and Customs in 2006 means that buyers of the five-seater Crew Van, which comes without glazing in the rear doors, can reclaim VAT when purchasing this versatile model. This makes the Combo Crew Van a cost effective option for fleets needing the flexibility of crew transport and load carrying from the same vehicle.

“As vehicle weights increase to accommodate more safety and emissions equipment, fewer small vans are available with a Gross Vehicle Weight below 2,000kg. Under this weight, car speed limits apply. Add in the Combo’s easy driving style, high load capacity and volume and it makes the Combo a flexible, cost effective package.”

The Van Fleet World award joins other recent accolades, including best car-derived van for New Corsavan at the 2007 Professional Van and Light Truck awards, best medium panel van for Vivaro at the 2006 What Van? awards, editor’s choice for Astravan at the 2006 What Van? awards, Van of the Year for Vivaro at the 2006 Professional Van and Light Truck awards and best light van for Combo at the Commercial Fleet World awards in 2005 and 2006.