If LDV needed a final slap across the face as it ponders oblivion then it came from Translinc.

The company that provides vehicles for local authority contracts confirmed that LDV, once the wheels of choice for councils, had not been a contender for the past five years.

As many LDV van owners with its no defunct warranty assess their position, Translinc revealed that it had less than 100 vehicles on its books from LDV, less than 2% of its portfolio, with just 25 exposed to the warranty issue. 

It is an indictment of British vehicle manufacturing that the van maker's end in modern times mirrors that of AWD, Bedford, ERF, Foden, Rover and Seddon Atkinson, to name a few. What fate Vauxhall? 

German truck manufacturer MAN has a unique name in the industry. It can do what no other manufacturer can do - wordplay.

It started with Trucknology, a made up word to describe MANs new brand of TG trucks in 2000. Today the term reappeared in the press release, attributed to Des Evans, the UK's CEO, to describe the line up of products offered by the Germans.

Today wordplay progressed. The Trafford Park site was launched in M-A-N-chester, named after the M-A-N-ufacturer, all right we made the second one up. 
Tenuous links to the nearly-all-conquering M-A-N-chester United followed before giving way to a reworking of Neil Armstrong words, when he took the first step on the moon in 1969: the site was "a small step for M-A-N-kind but a bloody big step for M-A-N". 

That last reference was to the £9m cost of the site; a good idea two years ago, a costly one in today's economic climate with decreasing sales. Bernd Maierhofer, member of the executive board, confirmed the plight of European sales of trucks 6.0t and over, scheduled to drop by more than 50% in 2009. 

Still, wordplay aside, nothing like this site exists in the UK. Its got everything; 22 test bays, dedicated VOSA and ADR lanes, enclosed inspection bays, diagnostics lanes, enclosed wash lane, a Special Fitment Centre for additional chassis work, 40 technicians, eight apprentices and nice flat tarmac. It'll house the new and used sales teams, delivery of 'all makes' parts, it has a driver training unit and a financial services team.

The next question is will it work?

The final ignominy looms for LDV as original, and still fancied, suitor Malaysian company Weststar is expected to pick over the bones of the fallen van maker in a few weeks.
Not wishing to throw good money after bad Weststar's decision to sit back and wait for any creditors to fall on stony ground does open the door to other bidders. Given the pledge to keep manufacturing in Birmingham, it's unlikely others would match this bold commitment.

At auction LDV continues to make the money - due in part to the fact no model has been built since December 2008 ensuring the market isn't flooded with excessive numbers of unsold vans.
Alex Wright, sales director, commercial vehicles at Manheim Auctions, says: "Over the last few months we have seen a good supply of LDV Convoy and Maxus models at auction. Demand for both vehicles, which are recognized as providing good value for money, has been strong and values have remained stable."

The dust is beginning to settle on LDV as the administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, decision to pull the plug on warranty exposes the dealer network.
Unable to bill the manufacturer many dealers, already owed money for previous undertaken work - in some cases stretching to six figures, are deciding the best way forward. There are as many as 35,000 LDV vans rolling around with warranty.

Dealers are local businesses dealing with local business communities who tend to have long memories if the rug gets pulled from their feet.
But what can you do? Hamstring yourself for the common good or make sure you don't get dragged in as well. Business is a lot of things but it is always survival of the fittest.
So faced with a choice many dealers are looking for an alternative. Outright refusal to do it, an in-house servicing package alternative, part-exchange for a different brand, charge for work without the profit...it's a tough choice. 

With new offerings from Citroen and Renault with their Berlingo and Kangoo respectively, together with CM favourites from Ford and Volkswagen, and the long serving, but no less respected, Fiat Doblo Cargo and Vauxhall Combo, it was time to gather up all the aforementioned for the ultimate challenge.
While there was always going to be winners and losers, what came across during our three days together was the overall quality of the vehicles on show.
However, time waits for no van, and the age of the Vauxhall counted against it when all the points were added up, putting it in sixth.
What it lacked was the overall strength and size that is inherent in newer competition - no doubt the forthcoming replacement will be bigger and stronger.
Coming in fifth we have the Ford Transit Connect. Having broken new ground on its launch in 2001 in terms of build and design, it's been caught up by the subsequent competition who've taken these attributes forward.
Coming in at fourth is Fiat's Doblo Cargo. It may be the oldest in the group (along with the Vauxhall) however its Multi-jet engine continues to impress all that drive it. Coupled with low-noise levels, particularly on motorways (that'll be the bulkhead) and an easy overall drive, it proved a reassuring companion on the long journey, though the dated interior revealed its age.
Next up in third position is the Citroen Berlingo. The decision to move up half a size for the latest version has proven to be a wise move by the French company; however this is just half the story.
With the enlarged cabin comes room for a third (small) seat and more focused design, while its driving ability has also matured.
And the same can be said of Renault's Kangoo in second position. Though it might not have grown in size like its French counterpart, there was more cohesion to this latest version (the youngest in our test group), surprising many with its composed and fluid road manners.
So that leaves us with the Volkswagen Caddy. While certain rivals excelled in certain areas, only to be criticised in others, the VW offered a well rounded package that performed well in all the key areas.
And it was these combined factors that make the Volkswagen Caddy the winner of the Commercial Motor high-cube group van test 2009.

While hybrids, electric, LPG, CNG and hydrogen are all being mooted as possible alternatives to diesel power in the future the reality is we're still 99% reliant on diesel technology, with no creditable substitute in sight.

So a shaving here and an improvement there all adds up.

And it's this approach that's behind Mercedes' ECO-Start. Available on its Sprinter, the system turns off the engine when the vehicle becomes stationary and in neutral with the clutch depressed, then restarts it when the clutch is engaged ready to move off.

Claimed to save up to 10% in fuel consumption when operated in the urban environment, where stop/starting is commonplace due to traffic lights and jams, it costs £545 (though this reduces to £250 when air-con is specced due to sharing of components) and is available on all four-cylinder manual versions.

So do we like it? Well yes. When used in the correct environment with the appropriate driver training then it will noticeably reduce CO2 output and just as importantly, save you cash.

Of course it's not for everyone. Those flying down motorways and A-roads will find the number of times it's engaged in a day are negligible, and therefore deem it irrelevant. But pick your application wisely and it makes sense.

Furthermore, as it's fitted to a Mercedes you shouldn't have to worry about it not starting up again one day (predictably when sat in the world's longest traffic jam), and that also means it'll be cost effective to run over the lifetime.

And drivers will also like it due to the spacious and well finished cabin that will help to blot out that traffic hell.

If you want niggles then the engine doesn't quite match the rest of the van's quality while the gearshift can be a little resistant when cold.

But step back and assess the Sprinter ECO-Start as a whole and it's hard to ignore its potential and the vehicle's all-round class.

There may be a recession throughout Europe, but it seems that Germans at least are not starving. Latest news from Allison is that it has equipped two new ambulances for the Essen nunicipal fire service which have been specially designed to carry obese patients. The Mercedes-Benz Vario 818Ds feature stretchers with a capacity of 750kg, whereas regular units can only carry patients up to 170kg, which apparently isn't enough. 250kg patients are "not out of the ordinary".

The ambulances can be converted within 15 minutes to provide intensive care transport for normal patients.

Used truck dealers are being advised to spend on desirable stock at auction as Glass's Guide believes those already doing so are cashing in.

It is understandable that some vendors are shying away from spending in the current economic environment but George Alexander, editor of Glass's Guide to Commercial Vehicle Values, says bold auction strategies are paying off for dealers.

"Holding too much expensive stock could prove fatal to any small to medium-sized business that is caught out by cash-flow problems. All the same, it has become apparent that some dealers have found it difficult to accept the opportunities that have been presented or were just not bold enough to grab them," he says.

Current key trends
• At auction any truck up to five years old is sold provisionally whereas older stock selling at the first time of asking
• Multi-axle platforms, tippers and hookloaders with lifting gear making money 
• Curtainsiders selling strongly

What is going on at LDV? Bought from Leyland Daf in 1993, bought by Sun Capital in 2005, bought by GAZ in 2006, slips into administration in 2008, is then bought by Weststar in 2009 and goes back into administration again.

A brief statement today by LDV says: "The directors of LDV Group have been forced to reapply for administration to protect the assets of the business. This is due to the fact that essential funds required to maintain the business and workforce as a going concern are not being made available."

Is there anywhere left to go?

Mercedes Benz is introducing swappage to the industry. Like scrappage, there is still the £2,000 cost saving to the end user but there is no need to actually exchange a vehicle. It's simply £2,000 off the list price of a Sprinter 311CDI panel van, Traveliner, or chassis-cab with standard or crew cab.

Mercedes Benz says it is passing the saving directly to the customer. The scheme, says MB, is designed to appeal to owners of vans of all ages, and not the tight restrictions placed by the government.

Here's how it works. Swappage involves three acquisition methods with Mercedes-Benz paying the customer's £2,000 deposit. They are; an off balance sheet operating lease, an affinity [contract purchase] deal, or a low-rate finance agreement using a flat rate of 1% over 12 months, 2% over two years, or 3% over three years.

Simon Neill, national dealer sales manager, says MB realised Scrappage was going to be difficult for many van users to utilise. "The Mercedes-Benz Swappage scheme, by contrast, has been designed specifically to meet the needs of light commercial vehicle operators.

"It offers retail customers the chance to acquire a new Mercedes Sprinter 311CDI at a highly attractive monthly cost, and without having to put down a sizeable cash deposit at a time when for many, capital is very hard to come by."