Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is pleased to announce its biggest fleet order ever of 1,000 Caddy vans for British Gas, as part of the British Gas fleet replacement programme.

The British Gas fleet of Caddy 2.0-litre SDI vans has been fitted with a bespoke racking system and a speed limiter, designed by Siemens.  The vehicles will all be delivered before the end of 2007 and are expected to cover 12,000 Miles per annum over the next four years.

The customer service Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles provides from its unique, nationwide network of dedicated Van Centres will be critical to British Gas, which needs to keep its fleet and engineers on the road across the UK at all times.

Colin Marriott, General Manager Fleet at British Gas said: ‘We are committed to our vehicle replacement programme.  This ensures our fleet operates to the highest safety levels and that we continuously take advantage of the very latest vehicle technologies that reduce our impact on the environment.’

Colin added: ‘We're extending the lifespan of our vehicles from three years to four years and may move to five in the future, so we have chosen the Volkswagen Caddy as we are impressed with its durability and competitive whole life costs compared to its rivals.  We have had 50 Caddy vans on trial for three years and our experience, plus the feedback from our drivers, has been excellent.’

Robert Hazelwood, Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said: ‘This is a fantastic endorsement of the quality and reliability of Volkswagen vans and the customer service provided by our unique network of dedicated Van Centres.’

Hans-Heiner Tueting, Head of Sales Worldwide at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ headquarters in Germany said: ‘Such a large order by British Gas confirms the durability and popularity of the Caddy, which is breaking sales records so far this year both in the UK and worldwide.’

The Caddy is the entry model in the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles van range, below the Transporter and Crafter, and is available with a choice of two diesel engines: the 2.0-litre SDI PD with 69 PS and the 1.9-litre TDI PD with 104 PS.