Fiat, Citroen and Peugeot have deepened their van-building partnership with a trio of new small LCVs due to market in May next year.
Called, Fiorino, Nemo and Bipper respectively and with a payload of 610kg the three Turkish-built vans will compete directly with the Renault Kangoo.
The joint venture will also result in MPV derivatives in the second quarter of next year, although Peugeot is likely to retain the Partner budget people carrier in the UK.
“The new Fiorino will fit neatly between the Grande Punto van and the Doblo and sustain our steady LCV market growth,” said a Fiat spokesman.
Peugeot-Citroen and Fiat Professional, the Italian brand’s CV division, already share development and production facilities for the larger Peugeot Expert/Fiat Scudo/Citroen Despatch and Peugeot Boxer/Fiat Ducato/Citroen Relay vehicles.
Within a length of 3.86 metres, the vans have a load capacity of 2.5 cubic metres, which can be extended to 2.8 cubic metres via the folding passenger seat. The 1.4-litre 70PS diesel engine emits 119gm/km CO2, meaning van operators are likely to avoid the London congestion charge when exemption details are finalised.
Rear parking sensors, cruise control and a separate cab locking system will be offered as options along with aircon, while a semi-automatic manual gearbox, with a steering wheel operated paddle shift, is an alternative to a manual five-speed transmission. Service gaps have been extended to 20,000 miles or two years on both petrol (1.4-litre) and diesel versions.
Pricing will be revealed nearer the on-sale date.
