Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroën have all unveiled new compact vans on the same day – principally because they are effectively the same vehicle.
The Vauxhall Combo, Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo are all built on the same platform, the three brands now all members of the PSA Group.
As such the three will boast similar capabilities – a load space of up to 4.4 cubic metres and payload of up to one tonne, accommodation for two Euro pallets between the wheel arches and a variety of versions – short and long wheelbase, and with crew van variants offering seating for five occupants. A hatch in the bulkhead allows the carrying of items up to 3.4m long.
Vauxhall is not officially revealing powertrain choices for the Combo yet but they are likely to mirror the Peugeot and Citroën models. These will range across 1.2-litre petrol engines of 110hp and 130hp (though the latter will not be available until the second half of 2019), a 1.5-litre diesel of 130hp with six-speed manual or eight-speed auto transmissions and a 1.6-litre unit in 75 or 100hp varieties.
Technology will feature heavily, particularly with regard to safety. Driver assistance systems available will include Forward Collision Alert with pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking, a Lane Keep Assist, Hill Descent Control, automatic cruise control, driver drowsiness alerts and speed sign recognition, while a warning will even tell the driver if his van is overloaded.
Infotainment systems will include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility, with navigation through an eight-inch colour touchscreen.
Dealers will open order books for the three in the Autumn with first vehicles on the roads in December.
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Any Electric versions?
There almost certainly will be in due course. The previous versions of the Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo had electric models, so you can expect to see this continued with the new generation.
There may be a launch of electric models at the upcoming Paris motor show in October. It’s only a few months away and the city of Paris is very committed to low-emissions vehicles, so it makes sense to announce them there.