The all-new Vauxhall Vivaro van secures the future of commercial vehicle production in Luton – and 1,250 jobs. The new model will also be sold for the first time as a fully-electric Vivaro van (and in people-carrying ‘leisure MPV’ Vivaro Life guise) .
The third generation Vivaro is based for the first time on a Groupe PSA platform: it’s related to the Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch. And Vauxhall has high hopes for it, planning to build 100,000 models a year in Luton.
It goes on sale in February, with deliveries due from late summer 2019. Vauxhall is planning to launch it with a bang at the huge CV Show in Birmingham on 30th April.
New Vauxhall Vivaro: two lengths, three bodies
Even from launch, plenty of customisation options are offered with the new Vivaro. It’s offered in two lengths – 4.95 metres and 5.30 metres – and three body styles: panel van, six-seater crew van, and platform chassis.
It’s capable of carrying payloads up to 1,400kg (200kg more than the old Vivaro), has up to 6.6 cubic metres of cargo capacity and can tow up to 2,500kg – that’s 500kg more than the outgoing Vivaro.
Impressively, Vauxhall says objects up to 4.02 metres long can be loaded into the 5.30 metre version, thanks to ‘FlexCargo’. This option adds a fold-down flap in the front passenger seat.
The FlexCargo system also includes a fold-down table on the back of the middle seat, creating an ‘office on wheels’, says Vauxhall.
The new Vivaro is going high-tech, too. Optional automatic sliding doors are available – and can be opened by waving a foot beneath sensors on the side. Perfect for delivery drivers fully laden with Amazon returns.
Vivaro tech-fest
Other clever tech coming to the new Vivaro includes a sector-unique head-up display, plus a front camera and radar sensor that brings lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert and autonomous emergency braking.
There’s a driver drowsiness alert too, which monitors driving behaviour and chimes an alarm if it detects tiredness.
7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Choose the one with sat nav and live traffic information is incorporated into the navigation, for real-time updates (and traffic-dodging).
The new Vivaro even has a rear-view camera, which displays a feed of what’s behind either through the interior mirror or the infotainment system.
“Practical, comfortable, economical and packed with all the latest driver assistance and connectivity technology, the all-new Vivaro is the vehicle that sits at the heart of our commercial vehicle range,” said Vauxhall LCV director Derek Wilson.
And the new battery electric version? That goes on sale in 2020, which Vauxhall describes as a ‘milestone’ for commercial vehicles.
The firm adds that the Vivaro van has been a huge success story for British automotive. Since 2001, more than one million models have been built in Luton and, as a result, Vauxhall is now Britain’s biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer.
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