Vauxhall secures exclusive housing contract

Vauxhall has supplied Clarion Response, part of Clarion Housing Group with a fleet of 290 new vans. Clarion Response delivers repairs and maintenance to 90,000 Clarion Housing homes across the country. Clarion Housing is the largest housing association in the country.

The organisation will use Combo Cargo and British-built Vivaro models as mobile workshops for maintenance engineers around the UK. Clarion Response will also welcome the all-new Vivaro in the coming months after awarding Vauxhall a deal for sole supply of vans for the next four years.

Clarion Response selected 237 Vivaro L2 H1 2900 Panel Vans, fitted with 1.6CDTi ecoTEC Euro 6 compliant engines, producing 125PS. As Sportive models, the vans come with cruise control, rear parking sensors and selective door locking as standard, in addition to a Digital Radio with Bluetooth and illuminated loading area from the entry-level Vivaro. Clarion Response has also received 34 standard variants of the Vivaro, in the form of L2 H2 2900 panel vans.

For circumstances where a smaller van is more suitable, Clarion Response now has 19 multi-award winning Combo Cargo L2 H1 2300 1.6 Turbo D vans in Sportive trim. These vans can carry a payload of up to 1,020kg, making them the perfect partner for a property engineer out in the field.

The Combo Cargo and Vivaro vans were supplied to Clarion Response in collaboration with The Procurement Partnership, the Imperial Group dealer service and SG Fleet, the fleet management company. All the vans were modified for use by Staffordshire-based Bri-Stor Systems. The vehicle conversion specialists adapted the Vauxhall fleet by adding a customised racking system with storage boxes, cabinets and tilt bins, designed to meet the requirements of Clarion engineers.

Colin Hutt, Clarion Response’s Fleet Manager, said, “We chose Vauxhall because of the quality and value of their vehicles and the commitment and support they were able to offer us in supplying and rolling out these vehicles into our fleet. Working with SG Fleet we’ve also been able to ensure that all the new Vauxhall vans will be carbon neutral thanks to a carbon off-setting scheme. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Vauxhall.”

“We are delighted to provide Clarion Response with our award-winning Combo Cargo and British-built Vivaro vans,” said Derek Wilson, Vauxhall’s Light Commercial Vehicle Director. “Both models offer the latest technology, while providing low whole life costs. With their specialist modifications tailored to making them a workshop on wheels, Clarion Response can enjoy the use of practical and efficient vehicles to assist in supporting its residents.”