Dangel | DANGEL 4x4 | Experts en sytèmes 4 roues motrices

The company

For 25 years Automobiles Dangel has been on an upward path, whilst always remaining attentive to the needs of the market and its users.

After finding fame thanks to its participation in numerous 4X4 races and rallies, Dangel then specialised in all-terrain commercial vehicles. Today, thanks to the 5-seater 4x4 Partner, Berlingo and Combo, the general public is also rediscovering the company.

In the beginning, the company was an SME with a staff of about ten people, who developed innovative technical solutions that proved their worth on the ground. It owes its success to the extremely rigorous technical culture and the intuition of the founder, Henry Dangel.

Today, Automobiles Dangel employs 80 highly qualified people and distributes its products through the Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Fiat dealer networks. The customer service department strives to address the current and emerging needs of its customers as precisely as it can. The DANGEL brand has become an undisputed leader on the cross-country utility vehicle market and is now making its reappearance on the passenger vehicle market.

Gaining ISO 9001 certification has lent the firm credibility and helped perpetuate this technological know-how, which is unique on the market. The company is constantly adapting to new technical and regulatory requirements. Automobiles Dangel continues on its path upwards and onwards.

History

It all began with one man's passion for cars and motor racing; that man was Henry DANGEL. Already in the nineteen sixties, Henry Dangel was designing and building racing cars known as "Mangoustes", as well as suspension kits for Alpine Renault.

After a time at BBS, he invented a concept to meet a new need he saw emerging on the market: the combination of on-road performance and off-road capability. He fitted a transmission of his own design on a production vehicle: the Peugeot 504... The Lion brand was convinced, and Automobiles Dangel was born in 1980!

As soon as it was founded, the company staked everything on quality and decided to ensure that it had total control over the production process for its products. Automobiles Dangel thus has its design, production and sales departments all together on one site.

The business met with immediate commercial success, in particular forging strong partnerships with several public bodies and companies who were very enthusiastic about its idea. Users such as tradesmen and farmers appreciated the comfort, versatility and effectiveness of these 4x4s, which were at ease on all kinds of terrain in any season. With a Dangel vehicle, they finally had an answer to their needs.

There was also success on the sporting front, with vehicles taking part in motor rallies and other great adventures in Africa, and Dangel's equipment began to earn it a reputation for excellence.

Reliability guaranteed by a battery of thorough tests and checks

You can be confident when you are behind the wheel of a Dangel 4x4 vehicle: its reliability has been tried and tested at several stages:

All the parts making up the 4x4 system are checked regularly by sampling.
Each operator carries out his own self-inspections on his workstation, ensuring compliance and accountability.
Quality control staff then carry out static inspections of the finished vehicles.
And finally, each vehicle systematically undergoes dynamic testing.

Any anomaly, however small, is recorded on the vehicle work order. This enables us to guarantee the traceability of the operations performed on every vehicle.

ISO 9001:2000 certification

Automobiles Dangel was awarded its ISO 9001:2000 certificate at the beginning of 2003. This process has enabled Dangel to document all its in-house procedures and all the know-how accumulated over more than twenty-five years. Indispensable for its partnerships with the car manufacturers, this certification also guarantees customers irreproachable production methods and vehicles that all possess the same high qualities. The aim? Total quality.

The trust of major car manufacturers

To make such far-reaching modifications to a vehicle such as a Partner, a Vivaro or a Jumper, the manufacturer must obviously give its agreement. Automobiles Dangel managed to win the confidence of Peugeot and Citroën very early on, for the 504, the 505 and the J5/C25. And now of Opel or Toyota. Thanks to the quality of its work and the satisfaction of the PSA group, Dangel was also able to convince Fiat to convert its Ducato models into 4x4s. The Alsatian firm was preferred by Fiat over a previous 4x4 provider and thus entered into a long-term partnership with the major Italian manufacturer.

Creativity driven by users

The success of the Dangel method, a unique example in the industry, can be explained by its systematic attention to the needs of the market. Building on the know-how gained in motor racing, Henry Dangel managed to fill a gap in the all-terrain vehicle market. Although 4x4s today account for 5% of the French market, everyone knows that their owners stick mainly to the roads. DANGEL meets a real need for versatility, effectiveness and comfort felt by private customers and professionals who really do drive on several types of terrain.

Strength through experience

Since 1980, Dangel's technicians have acquired a body of knowledge and experience that is unmatched. Specialised in production in short runs, they turn production vehicles into 4x4s by fitting them with a 4-wheel drive transmission system. By dong this, they are creating a range of 4x4s exclusively designed for efficiency. The customer is not one of those "show-offs" you see in 4x4s in town centres, but a tradesman, a farmer, a resident of a mountainous area who has immediately been won over by the simple, high quality driving experience offered by a Dangel vehicle. In the end, the user saves on buying pointless options and accessories and can concentrate on what is essential...

Significant innovations

Since Automobiles Dangel was founded, numerous innovations have been developed by its design office. Adding a system which, at the end of the day, is quite voluminous to a finished vehicle actually requires more ingenuity and skill than when the vehicle is designed to include it from the outset. All Dangel innovations are patented in the Europe and the United States. Always on the lookout for new opportunities, Automobiles Dangel has designed, produced and built 7 different prototypes, as well as the vehicles that have gone into production.

Service

You have the benefit of a network close to you. Dangel relies on the dealer networks of manufacturers Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Fiat to service and repair its 4x4s. You will never have to go far for a service.

Our 4x4 equipment benefits from a 2-year parts and labour warranty, excluding normal wear parts and damage due to incorrect use.

All repairers have access to a dedicated hotline to answer their questions and enquiries. To support the manufacturer's after sales services, Automobiles Dangel has set up its own After Sales department. Our technicians know their 4x4s like the back of their hand, and are able to solve problems quickly and effectively.

You are guaranteed a quick, efficient service. Our after sales service handles jobs under the warranty as a priority. On average, it only takes two days from receiving the order from the dealer or agent for the necessary parts to be shipped (time applicable in France). Your vehicle is therefore off the road for the shortest possible time.

You benefit from competitive prices on spare parts. Automobiles Dangel's commercial logic is different to that of its foreign competitors and it therefore sells spare parts at more reasonable prices.

DANGEL's know-how

Transforming standard vehicles into 4x4s by installing a 4-wheel drive system, while keeping the comfort and original loading capacity? The idea is both simple and ambitious, and this is what makes the DANGEL brand special. Body enhancement, engine protection, specific ESP and transmission, rear differential lock (optional) are the characteristics that make a DANGEL vehicle unlike any other. But it is at the wheel that you measure the real difference!

Thanks to its drive train controlled by a viscous coupling unit, the changeover from 2 to 4-wheel drive is automatic. If the front wheels lose traction, a part of the torque is transferred to the rear axle, smoothly, fluidly and with no intervention from the driver.

Why a "rear axle limited slip differential"?

The rear axle slip differential is very useful when one of the rear wheels has completely lost its grip, for example when crossing bridges. The torque is thus distributed equitably between the two wheels and allows the vehicle to cross the obstacle without hindrance.

What is the 4WD selector on the Dangel vehicles for?

The 4x2 / 4x4 mode selector integrated into the DANGEL 4x4 cabin allows you to select whether you want to drive in 4WD or not. The driver thus chooses to drive in 2 wheel drive, thus reducing his CO2 emissions and his fuel consumption, or in 4 wheel drive, according to his desires or circumstances. He can change his choice at any time, which takes place instantly. This is also flexibility and freedom!

The advantages of vehicles fitted with an Automobiles Dangel system

1 - 4WD selector

The 4WD selector you will find on all our vehicles enables the driver to select automatic 4WD or not.
In other words, the user can force the 2WD position (for driving on motorways or other roads not requiring the 4WD function).

Advantages of "Eco 2WD" mode:

Non-permanent 4WD
Lower fuel consumption
Less wear on tyres

2 - Ground clearance

All our systems (Trek 2WD and 4WD) are based on a considerable increase in the vehicle's ground clearance

On the Berlingo / Partner / Combo range, for example, the vehicle body is raised by 90 mm compared to the base vehicle, and up to 110 mm with the appropriate option.

Ruts, rough passages, muddy terrains, wet land and snow ... no situation will get the better of you with your Dangel 4x4!

3 - Versatility

Motorways, country tracks, snow, quagmires, flat terrain, slopes - vehicles fitted with Dangel systems can do it all!

With their engageable all-wheel drive transmission, locking differential, crawler gear, they can just as easily be agile, high-performing utility 4x4s as attractive, compact family vehicles.

4 - Economical and environmentally friendly

Complies with Euro 6.2 standard
Low weight and size, ensuring less land degradation
One of the lowest fuel consumption on the market to preserve our natural resources