The commercial vehicle market: the network, the brands and their specific features

Once you have analysed what you need and decided on the size of your van, you now need to choose a model. And it's not always easy to find your way around things... You may have already visited several dealerships and noticed that some vans of different brands have lots in common. Here is an overview of the market to help guide you through what light commercial vehicles are currently available.

As you probably know, there are many brands in the automotive world. Over time, partnerships have been created and groups formed with the objective, among other things, of sharing development and production tools, and pooling systems resources. If this practice is common for passenger cars, it is even more common for commercial vehicles.

• Manufacturers who do everything: Ford, Mercedes and Renault are manufacturers that present models from the smallest segment to the largest. They offer a full range of light commercial vehicles and they also build heavy trucks.
• Manufacturers who make mostly heavy and 3.5T commercial vehicles: Isuzu, Iveco and Man offer LCVs that are often variations of larger versions.
• Car manufacturers who also make commercial vehicles: Citroën, Fiat, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Toyota and VW offer a complete range of products that ensure they can provide an answer to a large number of requests.

To help you when you visit a showroom, the following is not a family tree, but a sort of family album involving the different categories.

• The small ones: Citroën Berlingo, Fiat Doblò, Opel Combo, Peugeot Partner and Toyota Proace City all have the same base. Similarly, Mercedes Citan, Nissan Townstar and Renault Kango share their base parts. The Ford Connect and VW Caddy are the result of a recent alliance.
• Among the medium-sized vehicles, you will find the Citroën Jumpy, Opel Vivaro, Renault Expert and Nissan Proace on one side, and the Fiat Talento, Nissan Primastar and Renault Fourgon on the other.
• The big ones: Citroën Jumper, Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer share the same platform. The same applies to Nissan Interstar, Opel Movano and Renault Master.

As your profession will require different needs and expectations from your commercial vehicle, the support or after-sales service may also be a consideration. Manufacturers who have a range of heavy trucks also have a network that is exclusively reserved for professionals and can meet very specific demands. A general dealer will become your daily partner by offering you an adapted solution. They will guide you through the options, equipment and amenities. The location of the latter is also an important factor. Indeed, even if meetings are increasingly spaced out, the time you spend on them will not be the same for each of your clients.