DAILY WINS VAN OF THE YEAR 2005
28 November 2005 - IVECO

Professional van operators across the UK will be aspiring to drive the Iveco Daily range of light commercials, after it was voted Van of the Year 2005 by What Van?

What Van? is the largest dedicated van magazine in the UK, read by owners, operators and transport managers.

This latest accolade marks Daily’s first major success at the What Van? Awards and follows hot on the heels of the news in September that Daily had been crowned Fleet Van of the Year 2005 by Motor Transport newspaper.

Chris Thorneycroft-Smith, Iveco’s UK Market Director, says: “Winning these two major awards is confirmation that our popular Daily range is considered best in class for both larger operators and the retail market, comprising smaller fleets and self employed tradesmen.

“At the beginning of 2005 we incorporated a number of major innovations to the Daily range, including the introduction of two new 3 litre engines, giving Iveco one of the most comprehensive engine line-ups of any van manufacturer in the UK. This also provides us with an unbeatable combination of performance and economy, combined with extended service intervals for reduced running costs,” he explains.

Daily triumphed over its rivals in the fiercely competitive van market based on the views of the What Van? editorial team, formed during the many driving appraisals and road tests completed over the past 12 months.

Neil McIntee, Editor of What Van?, explains: “The latest three litre engine in the Daily has to be one of the most refined diesels we have ever driven in a light commercial. There’s very little vibration, even at idle, and noise levels are remarkably low.

“The new six-speed gearbox is also a revelation. It offers a fast, positive, resistance-free change, and is a joy to get to grips with. For those drivers preferring an automatic gearbox we would have no hesitation in recommending the Daily AGile. Its one of the best, if not the very best, semi-automatics we’ve ever come across.”

The Van of the Year Award is judged based on the key purchasing decisions for van operators, with the Daily assessed and scoring highly for its excellent driveability, comfort, performance, handling, refinement, safety, overall value for money and strong residuals.

This latest achievement reflects Iveco’s solid performance during 2005, which has seen Daily sales in the all important light van market (3.5 tonnes) achieve over nine per cent market share. In the UK’s light commercial vehicle market, Iveco has enjoyed a significant volume increase year to date, registering over 8,000 Dailys.

The complete Daily range extends to over 3,000 different models with gross vehicle weights from 3.2 to 6.5 tonnes and includes a comprehensive selection of vans, chassis cabs and chassis crew cabs. This guarantees the widest possible choice for operators ranging from self-employed tradesmen and small businesses to large national fleets.

Daily vans can be specified with one of eight different load space volumes, from 7 to 17.2m³, with the largest model offering unrivalled load carrying capacity as the largest panel van available on the market.

Power comes from a line-up of five diesel engines, capable of producing between 96 to 166 hp, making Daily suitable for anything from delivering lightweight parcels to demanding ‘blue light’ emergency services applications. There is also an environmentally friendly CNG engine for fleets operating predominantly in city centres, which is eligible for a 100 per cent rebate from congestion charging.

The Van of the Year Award was presented to Iveco during a presentation ceremony held at the Sketch Restaurant in London on November 24, 2005.

www.iveco.co.uk

More News
  For November 2005
  From IVECO
  For General
  Driver247.com Home Page