Posted on: April 26, 2016
As the 2016 CV Show gets under way at the NEC, many cross-fertilised commercial vehicle projects will be making their debuts – featuring engines, bodyworks and interiors developed collaboratively between different commercial vehicle manufacturers.
Keeping up with this criss-crossing world of joint ventures between CV manufacturers can sometimes be challenging. Figuring out the motivation for this type of undertaking is an easier exercise.
Despite record-breaking numbers of vans on British roads in 2016, in most cases vans are produced in lower quantities than mainstream volume cars, which means producers need to find new ways of achieving the economies of scale required for profitability. Add to the mix the need to keep up with increasingly demanding emissions legislation (Euro-6 will apply to all newly registered light commercials from September 2016) and the pressure becomes particularly acute.
The latest of these co-operative agreements is between PSA Group and Toyota. The first product of this new alliance is a mid-size van, to be built at PSA’s Sevel Nord plant in northern France. The new vehicles are all making their world debuts at the 2016 CV Show, and consist of Citroën Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Toyota Proace models.
Another benefit of light commercials’ incremental volume is the potential to leverage more use out of existing car platforms. For example, the Dispatch, Expert and Proace triplets rely heavily on the PSA Efficient Modular Platform 2 (EMP2) platform used in the Citroën C4 Picasso and Peugeot 308 cars.
As to be expected, joint ventures oftenthrow up logistical challenges, and making each brand’s products suitably unique without additional cost can be a difficult task.
Keith Ryder, PSA Design Projects Director, has been busy addressing this issue with regard to the new Citroën Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. The key to visually differentiating the two lies in their ‘soft nose’ – the use of a plastic surround for the grille and headlights, which ties in with the front bumper.
“It means, for example, that we’ve given Dispatch a softer, feel-good, frontal look compared to the Expert,” said Ryder. It also means mid-term styling refreshers are easier to execute.
Currently the Vauxhall Vivaro van, made in the UK, is produced as part of a long-standing joint venture between General Motors and Renault, the latter marketing its version as the Trafic. The two vehicles will also form the basis of the newly-announced Fiat Professional Talento, which is due to appear in Britain in May as a replacement for the current Scudo van. This arrangement also shows that just as joint venture agreements can be created, they can also be dissolved. While the Talento is a shared project with GM and Renault, the now-retired Fiat Scudo was based on the previous-generation Citroën Dispatch and Peugeot Expert.
Moving up the weight scale, the Vauxhall Movano and Renault Master share a common design, and have recently been joined by the Nissan NV400; a consequence of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The newly-announced Nissan NV300 will share the current Vivaro/Trafic platform and will arrive in the second half of the year.
As well as its relationship with GM, Renault is also allied with Daimler, the result being the Mercedes-Benz Citan van. Based on Renault’s Kangoo, it has provided a cost-effective way for Mercedes-Benz to enter the small van market, a sector where it has never previously had a significant presence.
In large vans, Mercedes-Benz has had much success with its Sprinter model, now reaching the end of its second generation. In the US market, it was also sold as a Dodge Sprinter and a Freightliner Sprinter for Daimler’s American brands. The second-generation model was also re-badged as the Volkswagen Crafter. However, Volkswagen has decided to go it alone for the next version of its large van, and as part of that plan the next Crafter will also be sold by VW’s sister brand MAN.
The growing pick-up truck market is also seeing its fair share of joint venture action. The acclaimed new Nissan Navara NP300 will also be sold as a Renault Alaskan, bringing the French brand into new territory. Much of the NP300/Alaskan architecture will also be found in a new Mercedes-Benz pick-up which will break cover in 2017/18.
Like Renault, Fiat has also shown that it is open to joint ventures with multiple partners, in the form of a new alliance with Mitsubishi. The upcoming Fiat Fullback one-tonne pick-up truck is based on the Mitsubishi L200, and will go on sale in the UK later this year. PSA also plans to move into the pick-up market through another joint venture with another manufacturer, although details are yet to be announced.
Of course, none of this is a new idea. Another deal between PSA and Fiat stretches right back to the late 1970s, which covers a shared platform for the Citroën Relay, Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato large vans, now in its third generation.
The convoluted way these vehicles are produced, while hard to follow, has allowed manufacturers to field a presence in several different market segments, and it means that the 2016 CV Show is going to be even busier than ever.