VAN Management 67

The trees and the forest In contrast to the past two lean years, 2011 certainly did not go unnoticed in the van world. On the one hand, there are of course again favourable(er) sales figures, on the other hand, many new or renewed models were launched on the market during the year. Manufacturers are after all preparing en masse for the Euro 5 standard that will come into effect at the beginning of 2012, and that is accompanied by a whole series of facelifts and launches that should further stimulate sales. In this issue you will discover, among other things, the renewed Fuso Canter, the Iveco Daily and an extensive test with the electric Renault Kangoo ZE, which leaves the Euro standards for what they are and immediately takes a completely different, emission-free approach. From all the product presentations that we have attended this year, it is clear that manufacturers of light commercial vehicles – fortunately – look much further than the end of their noses. However, no one can say with absolute certainty where we will be in five years: will battery manufacturers find a solution to the autonomy question? Are electric commercial vehicles that can carry heavy loads a utopia, or is it just a matter of time? Is the future electric at all? Whatever the case, these are extremely exciting, but also crucial times for the van industry. As journalists, we can only be happy that we can follow everything from the front row, as a customer, choosing the right vehicle is becoming an increasingly complex task. Of course, it is also our job as a trade journal to show you the forest through the trees. And this time we do that with a dossier on van equipment, a sector that only a few fleet managers have a thorough look at.