News
ELECTRIC D-MAX SET FOR 2026 LAUNCH
ETRUX GAINS FORD PRO CONVERTER STATUS
ord Pro has awarded convertor accreditation to LCV bodybuilder ETRUX. The company achieved a 95.6% score during the assessment process for the manufacturer’s scheme, which included the company’s processes, stock control and design performance, far exceeding the pass mark of 85%.
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The news came ahead of ETRUX launching its new Ford E-Transit Welfare vehicle at the Commercial Vehicle Show. ETRUX also introduced a new Ford E-Transit Trizone electric refrigerated van. The vehicle comes with a GAH refrigeration system, temperature controls, chilling capabilities down to zero degrees, defrost facility and internal drainage to accommodate water runoff and spillages. As well as its conversion
work, ETRUX also assists fleet managers in moving from diesel to electric vehicles via its EVolve programme.
ETRUX managing director Gerard Galvin said: “I am delighted that ETRUX has been awarded the Ford Pro Convertor status. Our team works extremely hard to deliver the very best quality vehicle solutions for our customers – and that has now been proven.” Ford Pro’s Paul O’Sullivan
said: “At Ford, we have built our reputation on delivering vehicles of the highest quality standards and in order to continue doing this in the years to come, we continue to collaborate with the very best industry partners.”
6 WhatVan? May 2024
2026, according to Isuzu (UK) national sales manager, Neil Scott, writes Steve Banner.
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“The range between recharges could be approximately 300km/186 miles although that has yet to be finalised,” Scott said.
What is certain is that it will have a gross payload capacity of at least a tonne and will be able to tow a braked trailer grossing at 3.5-tonnes. “Having these capabilities is more important to our customers than range,” he claimed. “We’ve as yet no indication as to how long it will take to recharge the batteries,” he added.
A concept version is likely to arrive
n electric version of Isuzu’s D-Max 4x4 double-cab pick-up is set to go on sale in Britain in
in 2025 to give prospective customers a foretaste of what is to come. “So far their response to news of the vehicle has been brilliant,” Scott said.
The newcomer will use the same
platform as the existing diesel D-Max, but that is not the end of Isuzu’s electrification plans. “We’ll see a purpose-built, ground-up electric model in 2028,” Scott revealed.
An attempt by government to change the tax treatment of double- cab pick-ups which was promptly reversed does not appear to have affected the confidence of buyers. “Just over 40,000 pick-ups were registered in the UK in 2023 in total, and I think we could see the same
this year, with the possibility of some growth,” he predicted.
Isuzu sold 6,315 D-Max pick-ups in in 2023 and expects to at least match that total this year. “It’s a good product, we’ve got it available, and we’ve got a strong dealer network,” Scott said. He believes, however, that the
government will revisit the matter of taxation for pick-ups. “They’ll come back to it, but I doubt the policy will be as harsh as what was being proposed,” he said.
In the meantime, the double-cab pick-up market is already changing, with the days of employees opting for one instead of a car fast disappearing. “They’re going for electric cars instead because of the benefit-in-kind tax advantages,” Scott said.
ENTERPRISE RECRUITING COMMERCIAL VEHICLE TECHNICIANS
ental company Enterprise is recruiting more than 100 new technicians and has significantly expanded its technician training programme in a move designed to boost its commercial vehicle repair and maintenance capability.
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It is said to be part of the Enterprise Flex-E-Rent division’s efforts to increase the number of mechanics working at its 28 depots around the UK.
The company’s training programme is now said to provide bespoke career planning and training for every technician, which includes between 3,500 and 4,000 training hours every month.
This is designed to enable them to track their career path as they develop their expertise across Enterprise Flex E-Rent’s complete range of vans, trucks, refrigerated vehicles and specialist vehicles – and now its fast- growing fleet of electric vans. As well as increasing its technician workforce, Enterprise Flex-E-Rent
www.whatvan.co.uk
has invested more than £1 million in diagnostic and workshop equipment across its depots over the past couple of years, and is now certified to handle warranty repairs for Ford and Mercedes commercial vehicles.
It says it has seen recent average vehicle off-road times (VOR) for Enterprise Flex-E-Rent vehicles at its in-house workshop network fall to around two-thirds of VOR seen for its
vehicles in OEM and dealership repair facilities.
Enterprise Flex-E-Rent group service maintenance and repair manager James Walker said: “Our goal is to build an exceptional technical and maintenance resource internally to provide our customers with lower off-road times and help businesses get their vehicles back as soon as possible.”
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