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The annual Commercial Vehicle Show in Blighty is one of our favorite things, specifically because our inner children never stopped liking big trucks , and the manufacturers actually unveil cool stuff at the show. Exhibit A comes from Ford, which pulled the wraps off the limited-edition Transit SportVan. Powered by a 130-horse diesel, the bespoilered SportVan is targeted at the small business owner who wants to deliver his or her goods in style, hence the Performance Blue paint, Le Mans stripes, and 18" alloys. Inside, it's driver rolls along in leather seats, with creature comforts like additional leather appointments, a CD changer, A/C, rain-sensing wipers, and more all included in the deal. Only 500 will be built. Full details from Ford come after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

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The annual Commercial Vehicle Show is set to kick off in Birmingham, UK, and GM's Vauxhall division has prepared two concepts that likely telegraph a pair of small-business-oriented cars coming sometime in the not-too-distant future. The Corsavan Sportive and Astravan Sportive SE are panelized versions of the new Corsa and Astra station wagon. In lieu of back seats, the cargo area is expanded to encompass the full interior aft of the driver and passenger seats. Both already exist in "van" form, but not in the level of trim the Sportive concepts display.

The attraction for small business owners is that the vans handle and perform like the cars they really are. As an added bonus, they feature creature comforts like A/C and heated mirrors, plus the Sportive concept trim decks the cars out with visual baubles such as alloy wheels, spoilers, and foglights. From the outside, they look like nicely-optioned versions of their standard car siblings, albeit with fewer windows (and, in Astra's case, fewer doors, too). Operating costs are kept down thanks to the use of diesel engines that allow for sprightly yet economical performance. Full details can be found in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Vauxhall]

Mercedes Sprinter a bit too big? Renault Kangoo a mote... quirky? Well, General Motors of Europe might have just the thing: The Vauxhall Astro Man Astravan. The UK-built panel wagon debuted Tuesday at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, England.

Set to go on sale in September, the two-seat Astravan has been fortified to carry more handyman detritus than previous iterations, and a range of turbodiesel fours make time with a single 1.4-liter gasoline powerplant to ensure thrifty (if deliberate) progress. Saturn Ion commercial wagon, anyone?

(Press release and specs after the jump)

[Sources: Top Gear, Opel]