Fiat Fiorino scoops Best Light Van Award
Italian car manufacturer Fiat celebrated another industry win earlier this week after its Fiorino van scooped a gong at the 2012 Van Fleet World Honours.
Fiat Professional saw the model, which already has a host of accolades to its name, pick up the Best Light Van Award at the ceremony.
The event was held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London, and was a chance for the judging panel to acknowledge the achievements of manufacturers over the past 12 months.
Sebastiano Fedrigo, director of Fiat Professional UK, welcomed the win and said it is nice to see that the early buzz surrounding the Fiorino is being maintained.
"Fiorino has enjoyed considerable success ever since it was launched, and continues to receive recognition and plaudits from both the experts and customers," he said.
"It offers customers a winning combination of practicality, comfort, reliability and economy. We are delighted to receive this prestigious award from the Van Fleet World judges which provides further endorsement to Fiat Professional and its award-winning range of vehicles."
The judging panel highlighted the model's body capacity – which stands at 2.5m3 – its payload – which is an impressive 660kg – and the "frugal" 1.3-lire diesel engine as just some of the key features that set the Fiat Fiorino apart from its competitors.
Van Fleet World editor, John Kendall, said the timing of the van's launch may not have been ideal, but its economic features have made it a runaway success.
"Although launching the new model as the economy went into meltdown might not have been part of the original plan, it enabled the company to point fleets towards models that fitted in with the spirit of recessionary downsizing," he added.
Mr Kendall sat alongside Steve Moody, Alex Grant and Ross Durkin from the Fleet World editorial team on the judging panel this year.
Posted by Craig Salter