It may only have been officially launched a couple of months ago, in March 2013, but the new and improved Mercedes Citan is already making its mark. The latest accolade for the Citan van is a prize from the Honestjohn.co.uk awards, where it was named Most Popular Van.

The awards, which were held in London recently, were hosted by the car reviews website Honestjohn.co.uk. Users of the recently launched website, which aims to provide car buyers with straightforward advice and reviews on a wide range of models, voted to decide the winners of the awards. Voted Most Popular Van in its category was the Mercedes Citan, which has demonstrated good sales so far in just a couple of months.

The editor of the Honestjohn.co.uk website, Dan Harrison, said:

“The review which has stood head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to our users is the new Citan. This is the first ever small van from Mercedes-Benz and it feels a cut above the competition in terms of quality and refinement. It’s proved very popular on the site and with the new Sprinter coming soon it looks to be a busy year for Mercedes-Benz vans.”

A new survey has found that the main concern of fleet managers, including the managers of Mercedes trucks and vans fleets, in the UK is productivity and how it can be maximised.

The research, carried out by GE Capital Fleet Services, found that 44 per cent of fleet managers included in the survey named maximising productivity as the most important and efficient way to keep running costs down within their fleet. When it comes to the other measures fleet managers see as their top priority, the survey found that 24 per cent are focusing meeting cost savings goals whilst 20 per cent are attempting to understand the impact of new vehicle technologies (i.e. alternative fuel vehicles).

When it comes to how fleet managers are maximising productivity, 29 per cent believe that specifying the right vehicle for the job is the most important measure. Also important was reducing downtime (18 per cent) and looking at the total cost of ownership (also 18 per cent).

Commenting on this part of the results was Ken Gillies, GE Capital Fleet Services’ manager of truck purchasing and engineering, who said:

“Unexpected downtime can result in lost time and money, and cause unnecessary difficulties for fleet managers and drivers alike,”

Sabre Security and RF systems, a specialist in electronic security systems, has taken delivery of a brand new Mercedes Citan van. The company is already so impressed with the model that it has ordered another identical vehicle to add to its fleet.

The company, which is based in Chatham, chose a Citan 109 CDI van with a long body and Mercedes-Benz’ pioneering BlueEFFICIENCY package, which boasts a range of features designed to boost fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

The new Citan van will be used by Sabre Security’s senior engineer Billy Wells, who will be using it to install and service electronic security systems throughout the South-East.

The managing director of the company, Richard Rodgers, has revealed that the Citan isn’t the only Mercedes van run by Sabre Security. His partner Craig also has another Mercedes van, the Vito Sport-X, of which Mr Rodgers said:

“I’ve always liked Mercedes-Benz vehicles and Craig’s Vito is brilliant, combining sporty good looks with the quality, reliability and exemplary safety features for which the brand is renowned,”

“Unfortunately, though, it’s just too big for use by our engineers. A lot of our work is undertaken in and around London, where the heavy traffic means we need vans which are as compact and fuel-efficient as possible. The Citan fits the bill perfectly.”

At this month’s Tip-ex show, held between 30th May and 1st June, attendees can expect to see an exciting new partnership forming. Mercedes-Benz will be teaming up with the Thompsons Group, the UK’s leading bodybuilder, to showcase the first UK exhibition model of the Mercedes Arocs truck with a Thompsons body.

The Mercedes Arocs truck, part of the hugely popular range of Mercedes trucks which also includes the New Actros, the Antos and the Atego, has been fitted with a Loadmaster Lite body ready for the show. The body, manufactured by Thompsons, is all steel.

The director of The Thompsons Group, Scott Burton, commented on the all-steel body the Arocs will be fitted with, saying:

“We are naturally delighted that Mercedes-Benz chose a Loadmaster body for its first Arocs eight wheeler.”

Tip-ex 2013, the national exhibition specially catering for the tipping industry, will be held at the Harrogate Exhibition Centre with free entry. Attendees wanting to take a look at the Mercedes Arocs with its Thompsons body can find it in Hall A of the Centre until 1st June, and you may also be able to see Thompsons’ Stonemaster, its new maximum payload steel tipper body, which will also be unveiled at Tip-ex.

After taking delivery of a brand new Mercedes Actros truck, the rubber and plastics manufacturing and supply specialist LJA Miers has reported that it is delighted with its new acquisition.

The New Actros, an 18-tonne 1842 model with a BigSpace cab, was bought to replace a similar vehicle which had come to the end of its time with LJA Miers. The company found that not only was it cheaper to buy the New Actros compared to buying a similar vehicle from the brand it will be replacing, but it will also be cheaper to run, maintain and repair.

Managing director of the Cambridgeshire-based company, Andrew Miers said:

“Our last vehicle returned 12 mpg, which we thought was good. But the New Actros has recorded 14 mpg, which represents a very significant saving, especially given that it covers a lot of miles.

“Its purchase price was also lower than the latest version of the truck we’d used previously, as are the r&m costs. Combine those two factors with the savings we’re making on fuel and it’s easy to see why we’re so pleased with the latest addition to our fleet.”

Employees of Network Rail are now being ferried between the company’s flagship Westwood residential leadership development centre and the local railway station in a pair of fully-electric Mercedes-Benz minibuses that produce no pollutant emissions whatsoever.

The eight-seat Vito E-CELL Traveliners are driven by the concierge team, who make dozens of journeys each day from Westwood, on the outskirts ofCoventry, to the Tile Hill railway station less than a mile away.

Network Rail operatesBritain’s railway infrastructure, as well as running 17 key stations. Its investment in the ground-breaking Vito E-CELL underlines the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

Head of Westwood David Williams explains: “Rail is a very ‘green’ form of transport and we were keen to reflect this in the vehicles we use to collect our guests from the local station and return them at the end of their stay with us.

“We’re very proud of our new Mercedes, which tick all the boxes from an environmental standpoint. They are also a pleasure for the team to drive and have been exceptionally well received by delegates attending professional skills development courses, graduate training programmes and leadership conferences here at Westwood.”

The factory-built minibuses were commissioned after a year-long evaluation exercise led by Steve Duffy, Network Rail’s Business Support Manager, National Delivery Service, who worked closely throughout with members of the concierge team at Westwood.

The E-CELLS wear eye-catching liveries proclaiming their zero-emission credentials and, when not in use, take pride of place at the front of the impressive building, parked alongside pillars on which charging points have been installed.

Also available as a panel van, the Vito E-CELL is the world’s first battery-powered light commercial vehicle to be built on line at a mainstream production facility. An 82 hp (60 kW) electric motor drives the front wheels, which means that the space beneath the load floor can be used to store the lithium-ion batteries without impinging on the passenger or cargo area.

The whisper-quiet E-CELL also employs a regenerative system which captures the energy that would otherwise be lost in braking. As well as increasing range, this is used to power the heating and ventilation system and standard-fit heated seats, making the vehicle suitable for use on the coldest of days.

Steve Duffy recalls: “The decision to invest in these vehicles was not taken lightly. The journey began a year ago, when we visited the Mercedes-Benz stand at the Commercial Vehicle Show. Since then we have undertaken a great deal of research and evaluation, considering all sorts of alternatively fuelled vehicles, and undertaken several trials, before finally coming down in favour of an all-electric solution in the shape of the Vito E-CELL.

“It’s a fantastic piece of kit and meets all of our targets in terms of sustainability, so I’d like to think that before long we’ll have more electric Vito models in service in other parts of our business.”

And he adds: “Mercedes-Benz has handled our account in an exemplary fashion. Nothing has been too much trouble for the sales team, who have been very helpful but never pushy, while the manufacturer’s technical specialist has also provided first class advice and assistance. They are all a credit to the organisation.”

 The Vito E-CELL is free from Congestion Charge and VED fees and offers volume and payload capacities which are in line with those of standard models.

The vehicle will cover an average of 80 miles between recharges – to maximise operating range, it has an electronically limited top speed of 56 mph. A completely empty battery can be recharged from a 380/400 volt input in a maximum of six hours. Charging is quick and entirely safe, as the smart cable cannot be removed during charging, nor the vehicle driven off while it is attached.

The Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL is every bit as safe as standard Vito models, with the latest Adaptive ESP® anti-skid system and dual airbags both standard. The batteries are protected by a shock element and should a collision occur the high-tech voltage network is switched off when the airbag control unit activates.

For more information on the Mercedes-Benz Vito contact our Van Sales Executives on 01707 261111, or visit our website.

At the recent Brighton Marathon, in which new course records were set by two runners, a noticeable presence at the side of the course was a fleet of brightly coloured Mercedes Citan vans.

The Citan vans, which had been painted a memorable bright orange colour, were at the marathon acting as promotional vehicles for a local dealer. One had the important job of bearing the race timing board, whilst the other was on static display just before the finish line, at the sea front.

A third Citan van, in a larger variant, was tasked with leading a procession of motorcycles and scooters through the town, assisted by a Mercedes Vito van. The cavalcade was designed to evoke the ‘mods and rockers’ heritage of Brighton, and it attracted huge crowds on the day.

Alongside the Citan vans and Vito vehicle was a fleet of 17-seater Mercedes Sprinter vans. The vehicles, which were Traveliner minibuses, were used to collect VIP guests and athletes from Gatwick airport. Meanwhile, further demonstrating just how versatile the range of Mercedes vans really is, a company of Sprinter 4×4 vans and Fuso Canter curtainsiders were on the scene to provide logistical support.

The road safety charity Brake is urging fleets to be more aware of the importance of checking blind spots, as it is vital to preventing collisions and crashes with pedestrians and cyclists.

Brake has revealed that around 13 per cent of collisions with cyclists involve commercials vehicles. Of these, around 16 per cent result in serious injury or loss of life. Furthermore, it has been discovered that up to a third of drivers will experience psychological problems potentially lasting as long as a year after they have been involved in a road traffic accident.

Brake is planning to hold seminars on the subject in Birmingham this May, where the main causes of collisions with vulnerable road users will be highlighted and discussed. The charity is also trying to raise awareness of the importance of checking blind spots, especially when reversing in a commercial vehicle.

As well as increasing training for fleet drivers on the subject of blind spots, fleet managers should also consider using vehicles equipped with on-board technology to check blind spots and help drivers avoid collisions. The new Mercedes Sprinter van, for example, along with a range of other new Mercedes trucks and vans, come with a safety feature called Blind Spot Assist. This gives off a warning when a driver is attempting to change lanes and another vehicle or object is dangerously close.

After carrying out an intensive round of evaluation exercises and comparisons, the family-owned transport company Staplehurst Transits has chosen the new Mercedes Actros truck to join its fleet.

The company, which is based in Kent, had been running trucks from a Swedish manufacturer for the last 25 years. Bosses decided to break with tradition after realising that they could get better performance and importantly, better miles per gallon, with a different manufacturer.

The Mercedes Actros managed to beat out the competition in Staplehurst’s evaluation exercises and the company decided to order a New Actros 2551 unit with an aerodynamic StreamSpace cab and Daimler FleetBoard telematics system.

Delighted with the purchase is company director Darren Goldup, who said of the New Actros:

“I’ve driven it myself and it’s definitely smoother and more comfortable than our established trucks, while the automated PowerShift transmission is very good too,”

“The fleet average is between 9.1 and 9.2mpg, and, despite the fact that it’s still very new and not properly loosened up yet, the New Actros is already hitting 8.9mpg.

“This compares well with a unit from our other supplier, which went on the road at the same time as the Mercedes. That vehicle is on similar work, but lagging behind at 8.5mpg.”

There have been a lot of exciting announcements from Mercedes-Benz recently, including the news that a brand new Mercedes Econic truck is on the way.

Mercedes revealed recently that it is planning a late 2013 launch for its new Econic truck, as well as announcing a complete update of its tough, multi-purpose unit, the Mercedes Unimog. The 2014 Mercedes Econic is set to be stronger and more efficient than its predecessors, as well as being easier to operate. However, one of the most exciting developments will be in the vehicle’s engine, which will be Euro VI- compliant.

The company has already managed to meet Euro VI emissions targets in its newest commercial vehicle release, the brand new Mercedes Sprinter, which became the very first van to officially meet the standard. The new Econic is now set to join it, boasting maximum fuel efficiency and a cleaner running engine.

New Mercedes Econic trucks will borrow a lot of the features from the Mercedes Actros, including the electronics and chassis. The new and improved models will also have reduced fuel consumption and lower repair and maintenance costs, which will be music to fleet manager’s ears.