As the UK’s largest and best-attended road transport exhibition, the Commercial Vehicle Show is not to be missed by anyone involved in the industry.
More than 230 exhibitors have committed to this year’s event, which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 24 to 26 May.
This includes manufacturers of trucks, vans, tankers, trailers and tyres, insurers, telematics specialists, training providers, and fuel and lubricant suppliers from across the service support sector, bringing the very latest products, services and technology solutions.
Murray Ellis, CV Show Director, said: “The 2022 Show will again be the annual industry event to engage with leading companies and existing contacts along with making new contacts that could benefit their business. For visitors to experience these exciting new launches, the Show offers the ideal opportunity to see new products and services.
“Its importance is demonstrated by its longevity, annually welcoming hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors from across the industry sector.”
Many big brands will join smaller niche firms and start-up innovators this year, with new exhibitors including Ineos Grenadier, BP Fleet Solutions, Digihaul and NanoSun, alongside returning brands such as Ford, Harris Maxus, Isuzu, LEVC, Carrier Transicold and Toyota, BPW, Brigade and Kuda, showcasing the breadth of innovative products available to UK operators.
The new Hilux GR Sport will make its UK debut, as well as the production-ready Corolla Commercial, a new car-derived van developed in Britain and built at Toyota’s Burnaston plant.
David Crouch, of Toyota GB, said: “We have attended the Commercial Vehicle Show since 2016, ever since we announced we were ‘Back in Business’ with commercial vehicles. Each year we have used the show to highlight a new element of our commercial vehicle strategy.
“The CV Show provides a platform for us to engage with both new and existing customers about current and future products as we look to increase our position in the UK commercial vehicle market.”
One of the newcomers, Ineos, will be showcasing its new Grenadier, with product experts on-hand to provide technical and practical information for visitors.
Gary Pearson, Head of UK Sales & Marketing at Ineos Automotive, said the show falls at the perfect time for the firm to showcase the Grenadier and hear from potential customers as the order books open this month.
“It is also useful for us to build new and valuable relationships with perspective business partners, which is important for us as a relatively new manufacturer,” he said.
Locks4Vans will have two electric vehicles on its stand this year, which will both be kitted out with a wide range of its locking and shielding products.
Terry Raynor, Commercial Director at Locks4Vans, said the company has always considered the show as the highlight of the CV calendar and, as such, has consistently exhibited since 2006.
“The show provides us with the valuable opportunity to showcase our products to new customers whilst reconnecting with existing customers,” he said.
“What makes the show special though is having the unexpected conversations that lead to exciting new opportunities.”
Two live theatres, the Workshop Theatre and Road Ahead Theatre, will offer presentations on industry trends and panel discussions.
Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), will deliver a presentation and Q&A session titled ‘Meeting the zero-emission van uptake challenge’, giving insight into some of the most important challenges facing the industry today.
Other speakers include representatives from BP, the Road Haulage Association, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Bosch UK and Varta Batteries, covering topics from EV charging infrastructure, battery management and the use of hydrogen to vehicle compliance and driver facilities.
One of the key challenges facing the sector relates to zero-emission vehicles, with SMMT forecasting that about 6.4% of all new van registrations in 2022 will be battery electric vans, a rise of 2.8 percentage points compared with last year.
In response, manufacturers are bringing yet more electric van models to market, reflected by those present at the show, broadening the choice of options for businesses looking to decarbonise their transport.
Amongst the electric exhibitors is Maxus, with a fully electric stand of 12 zero emission vehicles, including an eDeliver 9 panel van, dropside and minibus, eDeliver 3 sports model panel van, tipper, specialist conversion van and milk float.
“The CV Show is a great opportunity to get key names in the industry together under one roof. It’s a showcase event for Maxus and the flagship event on our annual calendar,” said Mark Barrett, General Manager at Harris Maxus.
Meanwhile, Ford will promote its Ford Pro brand, including its electric van back-up service that supports customer charging, fleet maintenance, telematics and intelligence.
The first vehicle benefitting from Ford Pro is the new E-Transit, which has 196 miles of range, carrying up to 15 pallets with a forecast 40% reduction in running costs.
Dan Alcock, of Ford Pro, said: “CV Show hosts so many UK business owners, employees and vehicle users all under one roof so it’s really important to Ford.”
It all means the Commercial Vehicle Show 2022 will once again be a key annual event for the road transport industry.
The CV Show is free to attend – register at www.cvshow.com