Citroen Relay HiLo is to be aimed at operators working with manually-handled, multi-drop loads.
Alloy Bodies’ business development manager Anthony Clayton says that, by adopting a low-floor AL-KO Kober chassis conversion, HiLo offers a range-topping 1,335kg payload, increases volume by approximately 1.5m3, provides easy access and offers a low centre of gravity.
“When a UK-based Citroen dealer and customer approached Alloy Bodies and asked that a solution be developed for the ‘back-to-back’ Relay cab, we knew that AL-KO had the best and only solution for the project in the UK,” comments Clayton.
The order potential from the Citroen dealer was significant, he says, so Alloy Bodies worked closely with AL-KO Kober’s engineering department top achieve full integration.
“The partnership worked very well and was quite refreshing for both Alloy Bodies and the Citroen dealer who, historically, were used to chassis manufacturers telling them that they can have anything they want, as long as it’s one of five or six chassis styles,” states an AL-KO Kober spokesperson.
“It’s preferable to avoid any substantial remedial works to factory chassis as it affects throughput, so it was a considerable advantage for us when AL-KO Kober designed-in and integrated some of our own designs to its chassis to reduce our build process,” continues Clayton.
“The partnership has been a real benefit to us. Improving efficiencies and adopting a pre-engineered approach on a new product shows how technology is continually shaping our industry.
“The low-floor Luton sector, and our share of it, has seen significant growth over the past decade and we are certainly manufacturing more HiLo conversions year on year.”