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Welsh firm wins French maker's approval
publication date: Nov 2, 2009
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author/source: Robin Roberts
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A Welsh coachbuilding company has won a major order from Citroen.
Tawe Coachbuilders will offer their skills as part of the French CV maker's Ready to Run programme.
The Ready to Run programme, already the most comprehensive of its type
in the UK, includes dropsides, tippers, Luton vans, glass-carrying
vans, temperature-controlled vans, car transporters, minibuses and
dual-fuel vans.
Robert Handyside, commercial vehicle operations manager, comments: “To
put the Citroën Ready to Run programme even further ahead of its
competition, four unique and specially developed products are being
added. Tawe Coachbuilders will be supplying a unique, versatile,
wheelchair-accessible minibus; KFS a high-payload, multi-purpose small
plant carrier; Somers is introducing temperature-controlled box van
bodies; and Supertrucks is supplying a low-loading Relay-based
glass-carrying van.”
Swansea-based Tawe Coachbuilders’ unique conversion of the Relay 40 L4
H2 offers an unusually high standard of internal trim and upholstery,
and all passengers have an unobstructed view through panoramic side
windows. Externally, it looks like a high-class conventional minibus or
coach, with none of the usual external features of a
wheelchair-accessible vehicle. The vehicle can be used as a
fully-seated minibus, or with a combination of seated and wheelchair
passengers, or as a pure wheelchair passenger carrier, or even as a
van.
The versatility of this new minibus is a product of Tawe’s unique
Flex-i-Trans system - a universal, fully ISO M1-compliant floor system,
which will only be available on Citroën vehicles. The Relay minibus can
be converted from seated to wheelchair, or load carrying mode in a
matter of seconds.
The seats used with the Flex-i-Trans system can be folded flat and then
pivoted so that they are folded alongside the vehicle sidewall - below
the window line - to enable wheelchairs to be carried. The drop-down
seat and locking operation means that there is no need for manual floor
bolts and there is no manual handling of heavy seats. For larger loads,
the seats can be quickly removed to convert the Relay into a van.
The unique Flex-i-Trans system allows a high degree of versatility -
the new Tawe-converted Ready to Run Relay can carry up to 14 seated
passengers, or 8 seated and 2 wheelchair passengers, or 5 wheelchair
passengers and 1 attendant, or the vehicle can work as a van. This
versatility makes the new Ready to Run Relay conversion ideal for a
variety of roles, such as combined wheelchair and passenger transport
or for hotel and airport shuttle work - as load and passenger space can
be optimised for each application.
The Flex-i-Trans floor system has proved to be both reliable and
durable - it includes integrated and patented fixing systems and
folding/removable seats. The installation also incorporates
ceiling-mounted three-point seat belt fixings that can be easily
attached and automatic in-floor wheel chair fixings, which require no
manual adjustment. As a result, manual handling/bending by the driver
or attendant is greatly reduced.
With the seats removed, the new Tawe-converted Relay minibus has a flat
floor that makes for easy loading or carriage of cargo, which can be
easily secured by retractors and belts - eliminating the difficulties
of tangled/missing belts with conventional load restraint systems.
Citroën is adding new Enterprise versions of the Nemo, Berlingo,
Dispatch and Relay to its LCV range from January 2010. These new,
well-equipped models have specially selected additional specification –
air-conditioning to enhance driver comfort; Bluetooth® for improved
communications; and reverse parking sensors for improved safety.
Robert Handyside, commercial vehicle operations manager, comments:
“Citroën recognises that LCV drivers require and deserve greater
standards of comfort and safety, while LCV operators are demanding more
effective on-board communications. Thanks to these improvements, Nemo,
Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay Enterprise models meet the aspirations of
both driver and operator in one efficient package.”
In addition, the Enterprise specification also includes remote central
locking, electric front windows, electrically adjustable and heated
door mirrors, as standard. Also, most Enterprise models are equipped
with Trafficmaster Smartnav satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen
vehicle tracking. |
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