Citroen Nemo and Berlingo Make It a 1-2 At International Van Of The Year 2009

HANOVER – September 24, 2008: The new Citroën Nemo has just been elected International Van of the Year 2009 – with the new Berlingo van taking second place. It was announced that Citroen’s Nemo van had gained this prestigious award in a ceremony at the IAA Truck Show in Hanover.

This is the second year in succession that Citroën has gained this award – the Dispatch is currently International Van of the Year 2008. Citroën is also the first manufacturer in the International Van of the Year awards’ 16 year history to gain first and second places in the same year – and only the second time that a manufacturer has gained successive International Van of the Year awards.

Andy Salter, Editor of Commercial Motor and UK International Van of the Year jury member, comments, “The Citroen Nemo has been elected International Van of the Year 2009 as it is deemed to have made the greatest contribution to transport efficiency. The International Van of the Year jury was particularly impressed by the fact that the new Nemo has created a brand new segment in the light commercial vehicle sector. Over the past 20 years there has been a gradual trend for vans in the light segment to offer more load volume and as a result the truly “mini” segment has been vacated by the manufacturers, leaving a sector which, until the launch of the Nemo, has long been unfilled.”

The panel of judges, drawn from Europe’s top International transport journalists, were impressed by the Nemo’s compact size. Their report highlighted, “Congested streets and a requirement for movements of small consignments in a vehicle appropriate for the role has meant the market has long been waiting for this very class of vehicle. With approximately 610kg load capacity and 2.5-2.8 cubic metres of load volume, the Nemo is the perfect match for market requirements, enabling customers to buy the right sized van for their work.”

The Nemo combines a high degree of efficiency with good environmental and safety features and with a refreshing, new styling that distinguishes the vehicle from every other competitor. A speed limiter/cruise control is optionally available – which benefits both economy and safety. In addition, an excellent automated gearbox is available which reduces cost of maintenance and fuel and lowers emissions, as well as making a significant contribution to comfort and safety. Furthermore the fuel consumption of the vehicles as tested in several road tests by jury members was very convincing.”

“In summary, the new Nemo is a real innovation – in size and styling the vehicle offers a unique concept in the light commercial vehicle sector. It is a very well designed, compact, quality van with good economy and fulfils the most important criterion of the International Van of the Year jury – namely a contribution to the efficient transport of goods by road.”

A delighted Robert Handyside, Citroën’s Commercial Vehicle Operations Manager, said, “The International Van of the Year jury has highlighted the Nemo’s unique operational, economic and environmental benefits for businesses faced with rising fuel costs and an increasingly congested operating environment. As the instigator of the compact high cube van sector, the Nemo is the ideal van for a wide range of businesses – which accounts for its significant early success across a growing customer base.”

With UK prices from just £7,995+VAT, the Citroën Nemo is available with a choice of 1.4HDi 70hp diesel, 1.4i 75hp petrol or dual fuel (petrol/LPG) power with either five speed manual or Sensodrive two-pedal automated manual transmission. Within its compact overall length of 3860mm, the new Nemo offers a large internal load compartment of 2.5cu.m. As well as being large, the Nemo’s load compartment is practical, providing the benefits of near vertical side walls to enable maximum utilisation of available internal space. In standard format Nemo has a load deck length of 1520mm, a width between arches of 1050mm and a maximum internal load height of 1180mm.

If the unique Extenso folding/sliding passenger seat option is specified, this already very large load compartment increases to 2.8cu.m and also provides Nemo with an incredible near-2.5m load length. The Extenso passenger seat back can be folded horizontally onto the seat cushion and the whole seat lowered so that the now horizontal seat back is level with the load compartment floor.

All Nemo models have a 610kg payload – this van has been carefully designed to ensure that it is easy to load and unload. Access to the load compartment is via two asymmetric hinged rear doors that can be easily opened to 180o. All models have a ladder frame bulkhead behind the driver’s seat as standard, with other bulkhead options available.

Standard equipment for Nemo LX vans includes a nearside sliding side load door and all models can also be specified with twin sliding side load doors as an option. Other standard Nemo load compartment features include floor-mounted tie-down eyes and protective panelling to the waist rail.