New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Franchise ‘fleet’ deal sorted by Nissan
Renewable energy company Puragen has secured a ‘fleet’ deal with Nissan to supply its 72 UK-wide franchises with a mixture of NV200, NV400 and Primastar vans. Despite its well-established corporate backing, the newly-launched organisation found that Nissan was the sole manufacturer approached willing to see the deal from a fleet perspective, as opposed to treating each franchise as a stand-alone operation. A range of contract hire agreements, from a pool of suppliers, offering three-year, fully-maintained deals were arranged in conjunction with dealer group West Way Nissan. Puragen expects its franchisees to acquire at least 100 vehicles within the next 12 months.
Jeremy Malindine, head of Puragen explains: “What we needed was recognition that, although our franchise owners were new-start businesses, they would benefit from the strength of the group from day one. But we soon discovered the problem that faces every new, national franchise operation made up of privately-owned franchises with no trading history; motor manufacturers tend to see each franchise owner as a single entity, rather than recognising the aggregate value of the entire franchise network.
“This, typically, results in franchisees having to buy a single van as an individual, without fleet support and the protection that a fleet contract hire agreement provides. This is problematic for businesses that need to maintain vehicle uptime and have access to a replacement in case of maintenance.“It was a hard journey finding a vehicle-buying arrangement for our franchisees and Nissan appeared to be the only manufacturer with the innovation and imagination to recognise the unique demands of franchised fleet supply.”
Commenting on the deal Nissan’s fleet sales director, Barry Beeston, said: “It’s great that we were able to deliver for Puragen, especially since they had been turned away by rivals. Working in partnership with a renewable energy business also fits well with our wider environmental ethos and the innovation we are bringing to the electric vehicle market.”
