Sevel Vans wins Editor’s Special Award

Sevel Vans, (Fiat and PSA Peugeot Citroën), has won the Editor’s Special Award in the 2007 Van Fleet World Honours. The trophy was presented at a ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, last week.

The Van Fleet World Honours are presented annually to those van manufacturers and service companies which have, in the opinion of the judges, achieved the highest possible level of excellence in their sector.

Commenting on the award, Van Fleet World’s editor, John Kendall, says: “This is one of the longest running vehicle joint ventures of recent years, dating back to 1978. Fiat and PSA Peugeot Citroën agreed to produce a front-wheel drive panel van, built at a plant in Italy. The latest Citroën Relay, Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer were launched last year, proving to be a significant step forward compared with their predecessors.

“The co-operation was further extended in the early 1990s when the Citroën Dispatch, Fiat Scudo and Peugeot Expert joined the light panel van sector.

“And as if launching one new van was not enough last year, the replacement Dispatch, Scudo and Expert also made their debuts a few months ago. If our early experience is typical, they look set to make an impact in the medium van market. Like the larger van, the smaller SEVEL models are far more competitive products than their predecessors, while the extended model range seems certain to add to their appeal.

“And the future? The co-operation is set to run to 2017 at least, while yet another, lighter, model is due next year.”