Iveco Launches Latest Version of Daily LCV

TURIN, Italy – Fiat’s commercial-vehicles brand, Iveco, launches the eighth generation of the Daily. Since the fullsize van made its debut in 1978, more than 2.5 million units have been sold.

Innovations offered by the new range include Euro 5-compliant engines producing up to 205 hp, 6-speed gearboxes, start/stop battery technology and cornering lights.

New Iveco Daily offers more than 7,000 configurations.

Iveco has invested about E100 million ($138.5 million) in development of the latest iteration of the Daily. Production is under way at plants in Suzzara, Italy, and Valladolid, Spain.

The Daily was a candidate for export to North America, where it would be sold under the Ram brand. Instead, Tofas, Fiat’s joint venture with Turkish holding company Koc, will produce 190,000 units of the smaller Doblo LCV for export to the U.S. and Canada over a 7-year period.

The front-wheel-drive Doblo will be marketed in North America under the Ram brand.

Some of the new Daily light-commercial vehicles are not so light, as they cover the 7,056-15,435-lb. (3,175-9,946-kg) sector of the market, with the payload in bigger variants reaching 10,400 lb. (4,680 kg). Load capacity ranges from 247- 607 cu.-ft. (7- 17.2 cu.-m).

The Daily has been revamped to house the new Euro 5 engines, which use a bigger cooling system to dissipate the extra heat coming from the exhaust-gas-reduction system. A filter of dust and particles cleans the exhaust gases.

Available engines include a 2.3L turbocharged diesel generating 146 hp and 258 lb.-ft. (350 Nm) of torque. They are equipped with a variable-geometry turbo and the second generation of the Multijet injection system.

Another option is the 3.0L, 205-hp engine built by Fiat Powertrain Industrial, which develops and produces engines for Iveco vehicles. “It’s the first engine for this kind of vehicles to surpass the 200-hp limit,” says Massimo Repetto, Iveco vice president-product.

The 3.0L engine also is also offered in an Environmental Enhanced Vehicle version, producing 146 hp and 274 lb.-ft. (370 Nm) of torque. The EEV designation is for European commercial vehicles whose emissions surpass minimum standards via voluntary action by the manufacturer.

A bi-fuel (diesel and compressed-natural-gas) engine also will be offered with exhaust emissions lower than the Euro 5 standard.

Repetto says the 2.3L Multijet II engine, 6-speed gearbox and start/stop system can reduce fuel consumption 10%.

Besides the 6-speed transmission for the 2.3L engine, Iveco also offers a specific gearbox for the 3.0L, 205-hp engine. Both include double overdrive to reduce fuel consumption even more.

For urban use, Iveco recommends the Agile robotized 6-speed transmission. Despite the number of choices, the traditional 5-speed gearbox is included in many of the versions of the Daily range.

At the front are a new grille, light-emitting-diode headlamps and fog lights.

Regarding safety, the Daily range features the ninth-generation electronic stability program, which includes antilock braking, acceleration-slip reduction and optimization of the vehicle’s dynamics when towing, among other functions.