LCVs Big and Small Put Through Paces at U.K. Event

The U.K.’s first dedicated light-commercial-vehicle show returns this summer with organizers expecting to triple the numbers from the inaugural event in 2014.

This year’s DRIVEit@ takes place July 7-9 at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire, 95 miles (153 km) northwest of London.

Event Director Rob James says DRIVEit@ is more than just an exhibition; it is a live, interactive event aimed at everyone from van drivers to fleet managers.

“We had just shy of 500 visitors last year and are expecting triple that this year, certainly if (pre-registration) is anything to go by,” James tells WardsAuto in an email. “Our event is the only one of its kind in the calendar and is rapidly becoming recognized as an essential day in the diary for light-commercial-vehicle buyers,” he says.

The LCV show features more than six miles (10 km) of test routes. Because of the large amount of space available at the proving ground, visitors will be able to drive the vehicles on routes ranging from simulated town driving to motorway use, rough terrain and a challenging off-road course for all-wheel-drive vans and pickups.

James says all are designed to simulate the kind of use a vehicle may get in regular day-to-day business and help make the buying process easier, whether by one-man operators or by fleet managers.

At least 13 major LCV manufacturers will be represented at the event, including Ford, Vauxhall, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat and Great Wall. A wide variety of LCVs will be on show, from small-car-derived vans through to 8.3-ton trucks.

Admission to the event is free, but visitors must register online.