During the Solutrans trade fair in Lyon, Mr. Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman of the IVOTY jury, presented Mark Sutcliffe, SVP, LCV Business Unit, Renault Group, with the 2022 International Van of the Year award for New Kangoo Van.
The pan-European jury, made up of 24 leading journalists specialised in commercial, industrial, and transport vehicles, placed Renault’s latest van in front of the 14 light commercial vehicles from 11 different brands that had been released in recent months.
For the IVOTY jury, the main criteria for the International Van of the Year Award is the vehicles’ contribution to the efficiency, safety, sustainability and environmental standards of the light commercial vehicle sector.
This is the 4th time that a Renault commercial vehicle has won the IVOTY award: Master (1998), Trafic (2002), and Kangoo Z.E. (2012).
I would like to thank the entire European jury for having elected the All-New Renault Kangoo Van as ‘International Van of the Year 2022’. This award, which Renault holds in high regard, is a great source of pride for our teams. It rewards their efforts in designing and manufacturing a van to the highest quality standards and whose innovations, unique on the market, have been designed to enhance the daily life of our professional customers. This prestigious award is the latest recognition of Renault’s 120 years of innovation and know-how in the Light Commercial Vehicle segment.
Mark Sutcliffe, SVP, LCV Business Unit, Renault Group
NEW KANGOO VAN, THE INNOVATIVE VAN
The All-New Kangoo Van is aimed mainly at corporate fleets, tradesmen, and business owners with high demands looking for a tailor-made vehicle that boasts the latest technology and innovation to suit their business needs. The innovative van, with an athletic and dynamic style, features:
- Easy loading with the ground-breaking innovation known as ‘Open Sesame by Renault’; with the B-pillar removed, it now has the largest right-hand side access on the market with a door opening that spans 1.45 metres. As well as the ‘Easy Inside Rack’, a retractable interior rack to safely store long objects high up for better use of the main storage space.
- Best-in-class features with standard version boasting up to 3.9m3 of storage capacity, a maximum payload of 600kg that can be increased to 800kg as an optional extra, and a towing capacity of 1 500kg.
- A modern, refined, and ergonomic interior with improved thermal and acoustic comfort, 60L of storage, and optional seats for up to three adults in the cockpit. This configuration means the cab can be turned into a mobile office by folding down the centre backrest.
- State-of-the-art connectivity with the new Renault EASY LINK multimedia system with an 8-inch display, smart smartphone docking station, 15W wireless charger, Renault hands-free key-card for easy and secure access, as well as two USB and two 12-volt sockets.
- 12 latest generation ADAS, including Permanent Rear View Assist, Active Emergency Braking, Trailer Swing Assist, and the Motorway and Trafic Companion that brings together Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Keeping Assist.
- A range of efficient 1.3 TCe petrol and 1.5 Blue dCi diesel engines, available in 6-speed manual or 7-speed EDC automatic gearboxes, as well as two Ecoleader engines with fuel consumption capped at 4.8L/100km and 6.1L/100km on diesel and petrol respectively.
An electric model of the All-New Kangoo Van will be available in spring 2022, with a long version coming later.
THE MAUBEUGE FACTORY, A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Since 1997, the Renault factory in Maubeuge, in the north of France, has been the flagship production site for the Kangoo.
In an effort to industrialise production of the LCV and minivan models of the All-New Kangoo, as well as vehicles from partner brands Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, and to guarantee the highest-quality production possible, Renault invested €450 million to transform the factory: a new High Speed XXL press line designed for stamping very large parts, 630 new sheet metal robots, new application robots and a new paint quality control line, the modernisation of assembly facilities with full-kitting1 parts supply and a new finishing line.
The factory was also fitted with a new battery assembly workshop to prepare for the arrival of the All-New Kangoo Van’s electric model, which is set to be sold as of spring 2022.
RENAULT KANGOO, A REAL SUCCESS STORY
Since its launch in 1997, Renault has produced 4.3 million Kangoo worldwide, in both passenger and utility vehicle versions, across three generations.
With Maubeuge as its main production facility, Kangoo was also manufactured at the Santa Isabel factory in Córdoba, Argentina.
Source: Renault
