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Created: 08 March 2016

Volkswagen have been awarded with a 450-van fleet deal with Well Pharmacy.

Well Pharmacy have agreed to a three-year deal with Volkswagen that will see them take ownership of 450 new VW commercial vehicles, a majority of which will be the immensely popular Caddy with Volkswagen Transporters making up the rest of the order.

The high street Pharmacy chain currently has 780 pharmacies across the UK and dispenses more than 74 million prescriptions each year and is well known by local communities for offering healthcare advice and wellbeing support.

Brian James, fleet and home delivery manager at Well Pharmacy has commented on the new deal saying, "Keeping our national prescription delivery team on the road is vital, as our customers’ health depends on the swift delivery of their medicine."

"When selecting our fleet partner, we took into consideration those areas that most affected our business, including vehicle quality, after-care service and whole-life costs. Volkswagen’s combination of a nationwide network of dedicated Van Centres and comprehensive aftersales support reassured us that we could reduce our vehicle downtime and ensure that our drivers spend more time delivering a valuable service to our customers."

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Created: 01 March 2016

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles are set to launch their new Converter Recognition Programme which recognises conversion specialists.

VW are launching the new scheme at the Commercial Vehicle Show taking place at the Birmingham NEC (26-28 April), making this the first time that the popular vehicle manufacturer has attended the show since 2011.

The new Converter Recognition Programme takes the existing Engineered for You and Engineered to Go schemes that Volkswagen currently offer and builds on them, ensuring that conversions on vehicles will meet operators’ specific needs and will help to widen the number of Volkswagen approved LCV conversions currently available.

Key features of the new programme are:

• Newer and more stringent converter audits that will underpin the quality of the product available,
• Customers are given access to a 'one stop shop' for converted vehicles, this way they only have to deal with the Van Centre,
• Customers will now only receive one invoice when purchasing their Commercial Vehicle via the Van Centre,
• The new programme stipulates that the conversion warranty must match that of the base vehicle offering greater piece of mind,
• Common conversions such as the Tipper, Luton and Fridge can be serviced and repaired in Van Centres rather than having to be returned to the converter.

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Created: 02 March 2016

Kwik Fit have announced that they will be extending their fleet warranty.

The leading fast-fit specialist will be doubling their popular fleet warranty from 12 months/12,000 miles up to 24 months/24,000 miles for brake pads, discs, drums and shoes which Kwik Fit state reflects the quality of the training and workmanship their expert technicians exhibit as well as the quality of the parts used.



Kwik Fit's UK SMR/MoT business development manager for fleet, Dan Joyce has said, "Our decision to double the warranty on friction brake parts is a clear reflection of Kwik Fit’s confidence in the quality of the parts used."

"We believe the length of warranty available is an industry best and more extensive than that available through other service outlet on similar parts."

In 2014 Kwik Fit saw a 24 per cent rise in the replacement of brake pads and discs, this was also mirrored by an increase of 35 per cent year-on-year in fleet safety-related brake inspections in 2015.

Pete Marden the head of core fleet and business development commented, "The warranty increase on friction brake parts is also a reflection of goodwill from Kwik Fit to our fleet customers in trusting us with undertaking vehicle work."

Marden also added, "As a result of the improved warranty we would expect the volume of brake-related work undertaken in Kwik Fit centres to continue to increase in 2016."

Last year more than £3 million was invested back into technician training across the 2,000 centre-based brake specialists that Kwik Fit employs.

Kwik Fit also offer a free, no-obligation brake inspection to any company van (and car) drivers that may be worried about their braking performance, after which a full written report and quote will be given outlining any work that needs to be performed.

Don't forget that while you need a full MOT to be able to drive legally you also need to correct type of insurance for your vehicle which is why iVan Insurance offer great rates for fleet insurance.

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Created: 22 February 2016

Mercedes-Benz have launched a new vehicle aimed towards the UK market.



The new Vito Urban Edition has been crafted with an urban environment in mind thanks to the inclusion of seven-speed 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission as standard in the new vehicle. This makes the Vito Urban the only mid-size van available on the market that comes with a full torque converter auto gearbox which helps to improve fuel consumption and reduce driver fatigue.

Mercedes have also added Becker Map Pilot so that you can navigate your way through busy city centres with ease thanks to the instrument cluster, speed limit display and the ability to calculate the most efficient route offering greatest potential fuel savings.

You'll also find a reverse camera situated in the tailgate/rear doors that offers a close-range view of the area around the rear of the van which is displayed on a full colour Audio 15 head-unit that helps you to maneuver with dynamic guidelines laid over the image.

The Mercedes Vito Urban Edition is available exclusively as a 114 BlueTEC van model with compact, long and extra-long body variants available. BlueTEC diesel engines comply with Euro 6 emissions standards.

Priced from £22,720 excl. VAT for the Compact Vito, the long wheelbase is an additional £335 with the extra-long version topping out at £23,550.