Renault award hat-trick at 2010 Fleet World Honours
For the second year in a row, Renault is celebrating multiple award wins at the 2010 Fleet World Honours, including the first for its New Master Van, just days after launching in the UK.
In addition to receiving the Safety award for the second consecutive year, Europe’s number one light commercial vehicle brand picked up two major awards in the 2010 Van Fleet World Honours. The first, Van Manufacturer of the Year, a result of revamping its three van model ranges in recent months, while the second, Best New Van for New Master, comes just nine days after the flagship model appeared in showrooms.
Summing up the rationale behind the French marque’s overall Van Manufacturer of the Year win, John Kendall, Editor of Van Fleet World said, “Renault light CVs perform well in the UK, and in Europe the company is the single biggest seller of light CVs. The New Master is a significant advance over the previous model and the addition of the Kangoo Maxi in recent months helps to make that model more competitive too. Then the latest facelift for the Trafic, largely built in the UK, demonstrates what a sound design the model still is.”
Less than ten days after its UK launch, the New Master range fended off a series of challengers to drive away with the Best New Van award. Kendall commented, “The New Renault Master offers some really creative thinking about the driver environment, plus an excellent new engine…it’s far more competitive than before with a broader range and exceeds the 3,500kg GVW limit for the first time for these models - necessary in the 17-seat minibus sector.”
Completing a hat-trick by taking the Safety Award, Chairman of Judges, Steve Moody, said, “Renault has always been a leader in crash safety, gaining more stars in the EuroNCAP tests than any other manufacturer, but it is its work beyond the laboratory that makes the firm stand out. It has scoured the world looking at accidents to learn more about real world incidents, and is developing safety systems that are way beyond what legislation demands, making it truly the leader in safety for occupants and pedestrians.”
Speaking after the prestigious ceremony held in London today, weighed down by the French marque’s latest award haul, was Renault UK’s Darren Payne, Director, Fleet and Commercial Vehicle Operations, “Naturally, we’re delighted that our continued commitment to every aspect of safety has been recognised. The Van Manufacturer of the Year award is testament to our longstanding commitment to continually improving the range. The icing on the cake is the Best New Van award for New Master, only a few days after it went on sale. After the significant amount of development which went into its creation, including the availability of rear-wheel drive models for the first time, we’re delighted the judges have acknowledged New Master’s abilities so early in its career.“
More information on Renault’s award-winning car and van ranges is available at renault.co.uk.
