Iveco Speeds Rollout of New-Generation Daily CVs

MADRID – Iveco, the Italian commercial-vehicles maker now under Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ CNH Industrial umbrella, announces the launch of the ninth generation of its Daily range of light-duty CVs in June.

The launch date has been moved up at least six months from Iveco’s original announcement last September. Some analysts think CNH may be acting to strengthen Iveco’s presence in a highly competitive market segment that has seen sales backslide during the prolonged economic crisis.

The Daily range until now has covered the 3.2- to 7-ton GVW segment of panel vans and chassis-cab vehicles, with payloads up to 4.7 tons (4.3 t) offering load volumes from 247 to 607 cu.-ft. (7 to 17.2 cu.-m).

The new models offer what Iveco calls a segment-best 635 and 706 cu.-ft. (18 and 20 cu.-m) of cargo capacity by volume, as well as 388 cu.-ft. (11 cu.-m) of loading efficiency, the ratio between the length of the loading compartment and the overall vehicle length.

These new versions are the result of a lower loading height and revised dimensions improving the balance between wheelbase, overall length and load length.

A larger wheel arch and reduced rear overhang improve vehicle handling, and models up to 3.5 tons get a new front suspension. The single-axle rear-wheel-drive vehicles’ suspension geometry is revised to reduce load-plane height by 2.2 ins. (55 mm).

One of the peculiarities of the Daily range is that it is a body-on-frame architecture, as is typical of heavier commercial vehicles.

Iveco has not released information about the ninth-generation Daily’s engines, but indicates they will reduce fuel consumption 5%. The current versions are powered by 2.3L and 3.0L Euro 5-compliant diesel engines making 146 and 205 hp, respectively. A bi-fuel (diesel-natural gas) version also is offered.

Iveco is expected to offer Euro 6 engines for its new Daily generation. Euro 6 standards are mandatory in the European Union for CVs over 6 tons built since the beginning of 2014, while the intermediate Euro 5b + standard for CVs weighing 3.5 to 6 tons may remain in place as late as September 2016.

The Iveco Daily range is assembled in Suzzara, Italy; Valladolid, Spain; and Sete Lagoas,  Brazil.

Iveco in September 2013 increased output of the current range at Valladolid after moving production from Suzzara to retool the assembly line there prior to the launch of the ninth-generation Daily.

The truck maker has not indicated whether Valladolid will build the chassis-cab variants of the Daily.

Iveco has invested €36.5 million ($50.6 million) in the Valladolid plant since 2012 and received an additional €5.5 million ($7.6 million) from the Spanish central government and the Castilla-Leon regional government.

The Italian CV maker has been considering introducing the Daily range in the U.S., as parent FCA has done with the Ducato range of Ram-branded LCVs assembled in Mexico.