Repsol YPF

The range of commercial vehicles made by the firm Dacia is only available, for the time being at least, in some counties of Eastern Europe. But starting in 2009 the range of industrial and commercial models will be available in most Western European countries. Spain will of course be one of these countries where Dacia will take its light commercial vehicles.

Without a doubt, the electronic stability programme, ESP, is one of the safety systems that is achieving the best results and gradually extending its horizons. The Swedish company Volvo is the first to include it on their 6x2 rigid trucks with trailers.

The Swedish manufacturer Scania has organised a campaign that uses the slogan “Socios más que nunca – Partners more than ever” whose aim is to communicate to its clients how important regular services and maintenance of its vehicles are. Periodic checks and servicing keep vehicles in optimum conditions and allow defects to be detected before they cause any serious damage.

The worrying fall in sales of both commercial as well as industrial vehicles during the last twelve months has provoked Anfac - the Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Automóviles y Camiones Truck and Car manufacturers Association - to request solutions from the Ministry of Industry. Sources at Anfac are requesting that commercial as well as industrial vehicles are inclluded in the Plan Integral de Automoción.

October saw a big drop in the number of registrations of light commercial vehicles and vans, another episode in the freefall in sales that began earlier on in 2008. Last month`s drop is along the same lines that have been seen throughout the year, with little activity in the small and medium-sized companies which usually purchase this type of vehicle.

2008 has been a good year for sales at Mercedes-Benz industrial vehicles. One of the consequences of this good twelve months is, without a doubt, its latest record breaking achievement in truck sales within its European division. This will, by the end of the year, reach new record levels in spite of the credit crunch that has affected the rest of the sector.