Change is Coming...
Visitors to this year’s CV Show at the NEC had plenty to see from van and pickup manufacturers. Joining familiar van brands were a number of new entrants which were either making their UK debut or showing what they had planned for the near future. By John Kendall.
BYD
Perhaps inevitably, many of the new faces were from China. BYD has plans to launch a range of its vans in the UK and its Shark 6 plug-in hybrid pickup truck, but none of these were on display at the NEC. In fact, BYD did not have a stand of its own but used the Mediafleet vehicle graphics stand to launch its first LCV for the UK, the Dolphin Cargo e-Van. As the name suggests, it is a conversion of the Dolphin hatchback to provide a car-derived van. The Dolphin Cargo is converted using the familiar technique of removing the rear seats and replacing them with a load floor and fixed bulkhead behind the front seats. BYD says it will provide over 1.0m3 in load volume and WLTP combined range of up to 265 miles. Full details are expected soon.
Delivan showcased its “forward-looking commercial vehicle proposition”
Chery
Chery, another Chinese brand, has established itself in the car market with its Tiggo range as well as Jaecoo and Omoda. The company used the CV Show to launch Chery Commercial Vehicles in the UK and the Delivan brand. The company has established its European headquarters in Liverpool and Delivan is expected to make an appearance in 2027. The stand featured a number of concept vehicles including a large van. Speaking at the company’s press conference, Delivan CEO Jolly Yang said: “We see an opportunity to define a new model for intelligent commercial mobility, built on advanced technology.” We will bring more information when the company gives more details about its plans.
“We see an opportunity to define a new model for intelligent commercial mobility, built on advanced technology”
Jolly Yang, CEO, Delivan
Farizon
Farizon returned to the CV Show to launch a new variant of the SV large electric van, named V7E. As with the SV, it is electric-only, featuring drive-by-wire technology. Farizon is offering a single body size, based on the L1H1 SV with a choice of three paint colours and a single specification, designed to appeal to fleets and sole traders. There will be a choice of 50kWh or 67kWh battery, offering up to 204 miles of range (WLTP combined). Farizon claims a load volume of 6.95m3 and payload up to 1,338kg. It comes with a five-year/120,000-mile warranty.
Ford
Ford occupied its familiar place at the entrance to Hall 5 at the NEC, giving visitors a chance to see the new electric-only Transit City which the company announced earlier this year. The van is built in China in a joint venture with Jiangling Motor Corporation (JMC) of China, which has built four generations of Transit for the Chinese market over the past 30 years. There will be three body styles available: L1 H1 and L2H2 van and chassis cab. Van payloads will be in the 1,085kg to 1,275kg range. A 56kWh battery will offer a range up to 158 miles.
It was also an opportunity to launch the electric Explorer car-derived van, based on the Explorer car. It will offer 1.3m3 of load space and a 600kg payload. Ford says the comparatively high payload is a result of the weight of removed items such as the rear seats being equal to the weight of the load floor and bulkhead fitted in its place. Rear-wheel-drive models are expected to offer a range of up to 373 miles while four-wheel-drive models will offer up to 340 miles.
Foton
The IM Group imports Subaru cars, Isuzu pickup trucks, GWM pickup trucks from China and shortly will become the new importer of Mitsubishi. It will also import Foton vans from China and displayed a medium van model bearing the name Cavan on its stand. No further details are known at present.
Isuzu
Sharing the IM Group stand was the new Isuzu D-Max, shown in both electric and diesel form. Power for the D-Max EV comes from a 67kWh battery driving motors on the front and rear axle (45.9kW front, 103.4kW rear). The truck uses full-time four-wheel-drive and features four selectable regenerative charging levels. An optional Eco drive mode is also available.
D-Max EV is equipped with what Isuzu describes as a new DeDion semi-independent suspension system, said to improve handling and provide a more refined ride, while also helping to reduce interior noise levels. In rough Terrain Mode, Isuzu claims ground clearance of 210mm, wading depth of 600mm and approach and departure angles of 30.5° and 24.2° respectively. Extended and double-cab variants will be available in eDL40 or eV-Cross trim. An eight-year 125,000 mile warranty is included. Standard equipment includes Rough Terrain Mode, dual-zone climate control, heated seats, front and rear parking sensors, bi-LED headlamps and a seven-inch driver information display.
Iveco
For many years, the lightest model in the Iveco van range has been the Daily. The reasoning was simple, under Fiat ownership, lighter vans were available from Fiat. With Iveco now owned separately, the company has effectively re-established the connection with Stellantis which will supply vans to Iveco.
Iveco’s chosen route is to offer the Stellantis medium van and large van to its customers. Both will be offered as electric-only models and will be sold as the Iveco eJolly and eSuper Jolly, reviving names used for a Lancia van from the 1950s.
The smaller eJolly is based on the Stellantis medium van (Citroën Dispatch, Fiat Scudo, Peugeot Expert and Vauxhall Vivaro), while eSuperJolly is based on the Stellantis large van (Citroën Relay, Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Vauxhall Movano). The eJolly will be available with either a 49kWh or 75kWh battery, offering a range of up to 240 miles (WLTP combined). It will be able to carry up to 1,175kg in payload.
The larger eSuper Jolly will be equipped with a 110kWh battery, which will provide a range of up to 260 miles. The model will offer payloads of up to 1,400kg and body volumes up to 17m3.
Chris Bunce, light business line director Iveco UK & ROI, told us both will be electric only. “eSuperJolly I think will be more last-mile deliveries, couriers in some of the inner cities. Then the eJolly will I think appeal to a lot of municipal users, but also plumbers, electricians and trades who are working around inner cities.
“We’ll go to a lot of our existing customers, but I think it will open up new opportunities for us. Our teams have been fully trained on them and it’s a matter of educating people. We’ve identified that it’s all about education at the front end from our experience with eDaily.” Both models will be offered with five years’ warranty, five years of connectivity and five years’ low-rate finance.
Iveco
For many years, the lightest model in the Iveco van range has been the Daily. The reasoning was simple, under Fiat ownership, lighter vans were available from Fiat. With Iveco now owned separately, the company has effectively re-established the connection with Stellantis which will supply vans to Iveco.
Iveco’s chosen route is to offer the Stellantis medium van and large van to its customers. Both will be offered as electric-only models and will be sold as the Iveco eJolly and eSuper Jolly, reviving names used for a Lancia van from the 1950s.
The smaller eJolly is based on the Stellantis medium van (Citroën Dispatch, Fiat Scudo, Peugeot Expert and Vauxhall Vivaro), while eSuperJolly is based on the Stellantis large van (Citroën Relay, Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Vauxhall Movano). The eJolly will be available with either a 49kWh or 75kWh battery, offering a range of up to 240 miles (WLTP combined). It will be able to carry up to 1,175kg in payload.
The larger eSuper Jolly will be equipped with a 110kWh battery, which will provide a range of up to 260 miles. The model will offer payloads of up to 1,400kg and body volumes up to 17m3.
Chris Bunce, light business line director Iveco UK & ROI, told us both will be electric only. “eSuperJolly I think will be more last-mile deliveries, couriers in some of the inner cities. Then the eJolly will I think appeal to a lot of municipal users, but also plumbers, electricians and trades who are working around inner cities.
“We’ll go to a lot of our existing customers, but I think it will open up new opportunities for us. Our teams have been fully trained on them and it’s a matter of educating people. We’ve identified that it’s all about education at the front end from our experience with eDaily.” Both models will be offered with five years’ warranty, five years of connectivity and five years’ low-rate finance.
Kia
Kia returned to the show this year with new PV5 variants, giving the European launch to the L1H1 and L2H2 models, which join the existing L2H1 van and chassis-cab model. The company also announced approved UK conversion partners for racking, refrigerated conversions, lightweight tipper bodies and wheelchair-accessible conversions from Würth, Modul-System, CoolKit, TGS and GM Coachwork.
The PV5 L1H1 is 200mm shorter than the L2 models and offers 4.0m3 of load volume. Like the longer model, it is available with 51.5kWh and 71.2kWh batteries. Homologation is pending at the time of writing and range is expected to be up to 249 miles. Payload is estimated at around 800kg.
L2H2 models will offer 5.2m3 of load volume – 0.8m3 more than L2H1 models. Payload is expected to be up to 630kg. L1H1 deliveries are expected for later this summer with L2H2 deliveries expected in early 2027. Crew and chassis cab variants are expected to arrive later this year. Crew variants will be offered with the 51.5kWh battery only and a sliding bulkhead to convert the vehicle from five-seater to van.
A range of upgrades to the PV5 Cargo were also announced at the show from lumbar adjustment and height-adjustable armrest for two-seat models, new composite bulkhead option and dual passenger seat.
