Currently, the United States Postal Service has a fleet of around 200,000 Grumman Long Life Vehicles serving as its mail trucks across the country. Those pokey little vans have been in service for thirty years now, and soon, the government will be taking bids on the vehicle that will be used as America’s next mail-carrying-mobile. A contract that could be worth as much as six billion dollars, according to Automotive News. $6 billion.
There’s a long list of specifications that the next mail truck/van will need to meet. For example, the cargo area must be a certain size, there are efficiency regulations, and numerous other specs that the USPS would prefer their next vehicles to have. The Chevrolet City Express meets pretty much all of them, which is why we’re now asking for your opinion via this Community Question.
Think about it: the Chevrolet City Express has a large cargo space, since it is a work van after all, and it’s brand-new for the 2015 model year, and it’s pretty efficient for a van. The only potential fault that is that the USPS requires their vehicles to be right-hand drive, and the City Express is solely available in left-hand drive, since this is America, after all.
So, what do you think? Should the City Express be ‘Merica’s next mail truck? Vote in the poll below, and let us know your reasoning in the comments section.
Comments
For $6 B, GM can make Left Handed Drive Vehicles to secure this contract!!!! 😉
It’s a Nissan and is actually a NV200 so it should be imported from Japan so it will be the first Chevrolet truck that is made in Japan since 1982 when they discontinued the LUV that was made by Isuzu.
Plus the right handed drive Chevy Express will be built by Nissan in Japan.
Why wouldn’t they purchase from the source? It’s a Nissan van, not a Chevrolet. Buy the real thing and I’m sure Nissan would give them the best rate. Chevrolet needs to build their own vans. A modern day genuine Astro would crush this thing and the Transit both.
It should be imported from Japan as it is a Nissan, it would be the first USPS vehicle that is made in Japan straight from the Nissan factory, that they already make the Nissan NV200 for the Japanese market that is similar to the Chevy City Express.
It will be the first Chevrolet truck that is made in Japan since 1982 when the LUV was discontinued but this time it will be used for the US Postal Service with the right hand steering wheel coming out of a Nissan factory in Japan while the LUV was made by Isuzu.
Except they want to give the contract to an American company. That leaves FORD as the only true competitor.
The rumors were that the rebadged Nissan was a stopgap measure, giving GM time to put together their own, competitive product. Given the worldwide success of the Transit/Transit Connect, I think they should push to make this fleet opportunity a jumping off point for their own new vans (not rebadged Nissans)—assuming they’re anywhere close to production. If they base a smaller van on the new D2XX platform that will underpin the next generation Equinox/Cruze/Volt, they might even be able to offer a Voltec and/or pure electric version. Doing so would make them more likely to win the contract and would allow them to recoup their battery production costs more quickly.
My question is why didn’t GM use Opel Combo or even Opel Vivano as their NA midsize van?
I think the most efficient mail truck should be with hybrid or electric technology because of stop and go driving. If its electric, it should have a long range at least 100 mi per charge and with onboard generator like volt. that would save USPS lots of money annually and with mininum pollution.
If I were GM I’d design (not engineer) based off of the next gen. Orlando, but taller and longer with the Voltec engine. If they get the contract, then engineer it.
For 200,000 vehicles, GM could offer a right-hand drive, EREV Voltec-type truck with top speed limited to 60 mph, electric range of 100 miles in warm weather with proven battery technology from the Volt, and an efficient ICE . Aggressive regen would be a natural for stop and go driving. There would be significant savings in fuel and maintenance for the USPS, too.
On second thought, this idea won’t fly. It’s too elegant a solution. The USPS will call for RFPs for 10 year old technology that will waste taxpayer money year after year in poor gasoline consumption and frequent oil changes.
USPS is my all time favorite courier service. Now all USPS services can be enjoyed on liteblue.
I think GM could have offered a right-hand drive
Liteblue is the official employee login portal of the United States Postal Service.
Have a 2015 city express use on mail route maintenance and durability better tha ford windstar,dodge caravan, just wish they could make it right hand drive.my route is 90 miles long.