Iveco has revealed it recently celebrated the unusual production milestone of 1.8 million Daily vehicles manufactured at the company’s Suzzara plant at Mantua in Italy.
We say unusual because while it is a significant number, it’s hardly a special birthday, a bit like making a big deal of turning 48 but not 50. Anyway despite this it is a large number of Daily vans and cab chassis of models spread over the last 45 years.
The 1.8 millionth was a new eDaily which the company says was delivered to leading UK supermarket chain, Tesco, forming part of a home delivery fleet of 571 electrified vehicles that Tesco currently operates.
The milestone Tesco bound Daily was a cab chassis model which was assembled in Suzzara and electrified at Iveco’s Brescia facility also ion Italy.
According to Iveco Tesco has operated Daily models in its fleet since 2010, with the company saying they are well suited to deliveries in urban environments, thanks to their ample payloads and class-leading turning circles.
The company says it has chosen Iveco to transition its fleet towards greater sustainability, with the eDaily offering zero emission tailpipe emissions via its modular battery setup. Iveco claims its electric motor delivers strong performance with 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque deployable. The company added that it’s also capable of rapid charging at 80kW, enabling it to add approximately 100 kilometres of range in just 30 minutes, while a 22kW onboard charger apparently enables Tesco to maximise charging from AC chargers at local stores.
Iveco’s Suzzara plant manager, Fulvio Carillo, explained the reasons for the Daily’s widespread customer adoption over many years.
“The milestone testifies to the success of our Daily, a vehicle produced at our Suzzara plant for over 45 years,” Carillo said.
“This enduring success highlights the growing market presence of a commercial vehicle that has set new standards of innovation. Its strengths lie in its versatility and efficiency, qualities that have been repeatedly recognised throughout its history.
“We take immense pride in this achievement, knowing that the Daily has earned popularity among customers who value its exceptional versatility, durability and performance,” he added.
Here in Australia the first Daily badged vans were released in 2002 but selected ‘TurboDaily’ models were available earlier. Since launch, Iveco said the Daily range quickly developed a strong reputation thanks to its tough underpinnings and durability, and it’s not unusual to see some of these early models with more than one million kilometres on the odometer.
In more recent years, Iveco claims the Daily has achieved considerable sales success, and claims the cab chassis has been the best selling European cab chassis for several years running according to Truck Industry Council data.
Iveco says it is also advanced in launch plans for its eDaily range in Australia and New Zealand, with several trial vehicles currently undergoing testing with leading fleets around the country.
