Engineered around the vehicle
New vehicle platforms keep arriving in New Zealand, and the KIA PV5 is among the latest. Every one is a chance to prove what innovation can do — engineering a fitout that unlocks a vehicle’s full potential, purpose-built for the platform in front of us. Here’s how we approached fitting out the PV5.
When a new platform arrives, we don’t start from an existing product and force it to fit. Design, fabrication, installation, service and parts are all handled in-house, so the fitout is engineered around the vehicle itself rather than a generic template.
Applied to the PV5, that approach produced a distinct fitout solution for each type of work — not one system stretched across every job, but a configuration engineered specifically for each trade:
- Service technicians — full racking and a double-sided underfloor drawer, so technicians can reach their tools from whichever side is fastest or safest, with no climbing in and no wasted time
- Mobile mechanics — parts bins, tool drawers and specialist storage laid out for genuine workshop capability on the road
- Tradies — shelving and racking sized for day-to-day trade work
- Delivery and courier operators — simple, load-efficient racking that maximises usable space
- Specialist builds — including a mobile coffee van fitout, proof of how far the same engineering approach can stretch
Five different jobs, one platform, five tailored fitout solutions — each engineered for the work it needs to do.
Engineering the fitout to solve for weight
Electric vans introduce a constraint most fitout suppliers haven’t had to design around before: every kilogram spent on the fitout is a kilogram of range and payload the vehicle doesn’t have. That’s a fitout engineering problem, and we’ve built two products specifically to solve it:
- AT Syncro system — lighter than traditional shelving, while remaining strong and fully recyclable
- AT SmartBoard — our own product, made from recycled plastic, up to 60 percent lighter than plywood lining, without giving up durability
On the PV5, with its 690 kilogram maximum payload, that weight saving translates directly into more capacity for tools, stock and equipment. Both products sit inside an active development programme — we’re currently working on an aluminium Syncro variant and an updated version of our proprietary Trade System, so the fitout keeps getting lighter as more EV platforms join New Zealand fleets.
Fitouts are also installed to OE mounts and bonded tracking, so they can be removed cleanly if a vehicle needs to return to standard configuration — a genuine consideration for fleets thinking about resale.
Support built into the solution, not bolted on afterwards
A fitout is only as good as what stands behind it, particularly for a fleet running multiple vehicles over several years. Ours includes:
- Design, installation, service and parts, all handled in-house
- A dealer hub so you can track the progress of your build
- A dedicated project manager as your single point of contact throughout
- Fleet-scale capability for standardised, multi-vehicle programmes
- Full lifecycle support from initial design through to aftersales
For fleets standardising across a mixed pool of vehicles, that’s the real value: one partner who has already engineered the solution for your platform, rather than several partial fixes stitched together.
What this means for fleets considering new vehicles
New vehicles will keep arriving in New Zealand, and each one raises the same question: who’s actually engineered a proper fitout solution for it? Our answer is the fitout itself — designed from first principles, built with weight and payload in mind, and backed by full lifecycle support. The PV5 is the current proof of that approach. It won’t be the last.
If you’re assessing the PV5, or any new vehicle entering your fleet, we’re happy to talk through what a fitout solution could look like.
Get in touch: 09 580 0477 info@autotransform.co.nz autotransform.co.nz
