The all-new Vauxhall Combo has been voted International Van of the Year 2019 (IVOTY), the most coveted light commercial vehicle title.
Awarding the Combo 127 points, the jury of specialist journalists from 25 European countries put the new Vauxhall well ahead of the second-placed Mercedes Sprinter (92 points). The Combo’s innovative assistance systems, economy and driver enjoyment all played decisive roles.
The Vauxhall Combo has been developed by Groupe PSA and optimised to the needs of the brand. The prize-giving took place at the IAA commercial vehicle show in Hannover today. Vauxhall/Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller accepted the award for the Combo from IVOTY President, Jarlath Sweeney.
“We are very proud of this award”, said Michael Lohscheller. “The victory also shows the possibilities for Vauxhall/Opel within Groupe PSA. With the Combo we are now attacking the C-van segment – until now we have not played a prominent role here. There is great growth potential for Vauxhall/Opel in the LCV business. It is therefore appropriate that we have received the responsibility for developing a new LCV platform for the whole Groupe PSA in Rüsselsheim, Germany.”
The IVOTY jury was highly-impressed by the talents of the Vauxhall Combo: “The engineers and designers succeeded for the first time in the history of LCVs to create a multi-brand cooperation van, where all brands maintain their core values and brand personality without almost any compromise. These vans are redefining the entire segment of modern compact vans, with a fresh approach in design, fit and finish on par with compact cars and a unique feeling of comfort.”
The jury also praised Combo’s numerous assistance systems, such as the sensor-based overload indicator and the excellent all-around visibility – the second camera in the passenger-side mirror, for example, reduces the blind-spot on this side of the vehicle. The Combo Cargo additionally scores with the equally new sensor-based Flank Guard. These systems will be available to order soon for Vauxhall customers. The jury of journalists concluded: “The PSA vans are convincing in more ways than one. They feature real novelties that are modern, comfortable and full of today’s safety technologies. In use, they display a driving pleasure and generally very good levels of behaviour, without yielding anything to their utilitarian vocation. They offer professionals a wide choice of bodies and engines. Clearly a new reference in the world of vans.”
All-new Combo
The all-new Combo celebrates its world premiere at the IAA show for commercial vehicles in Hannover (booth C 64, hall 13). The new Combo has been developed with the ambition of offering top efficiency to professionals and the lowest cost of ownership in the segment, thanks to an all-new architecture, ingenious packaging and a unique range of assistance systems resulting in an extremely efficient transporter.
From launch, the Combo is available in numerous variants including the 4.40-metre standard version, the 4.75-metre XL type and a spacious five seater crew cab with two sliding doors as standard. Vauxhall’s new compact van also outshines most of its main competitors with a load volume of up to 4.4m3, a payload of up to 1,000kg and a loading length of up to 3,440mm for objects and work material. The cleverly designed load area is wide enough to load up to two Euro pallets – even in the standard wheelbase version. And extremely long items such as pipes and wooden planks can be stowed at an angle thanks to the optional roof hatch.
SOURCE: Vauxhall
