Iveco CEO Palo Monferino has told the media that the Fiat Group's bus-to-truck making division still is on-course to finalise its plans to enter the United States market, during the course of next year, and he left open the option of making an acquisition.

He told the Reuters news agency that a US acquisition was a possibility. "We have a lot of projects being studied. We think we'll arrive at a decision during next year," Reuters reported Paolo Monferino as saying on the margins of a business conference. Much media speculation has surrounded US truck maker Navistar International as being a logical possible acquisition.

It has also been widely speculated that the major task of introducing the Iveco brand to the US could be carried out in conjunction with CNH Global, the Fiat Group's US-based manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment. Tapping into CNH's widespread operational structure could be a logical move, and is been keen to leverage the strength of this company, recently CNH offered customer finance options to the Maserati North America dealership network. "There is the stand-alone hypothesis, as well as a partnership with one of our own businesses. CNH has a very big distribution network," Monferino told Reuters yesterday. "There also could be cooperation that in due time could be developed in different ways," he added.

Meanwhile this week Iveco has participated in Post-Expo 2007 in Barcelona, thus confirming its strong interest in the mail & parcel delivery industry. Iveco supplies operators a full product range, flexible to bodywork requirements and environment friendly thanks to compressed natural gas (CNG) power solutions that ensure ultra-low emissions.
 

The stand setting was selected to highlight continuity with the Iveco All Blacks sponsorship, and was congruent with the communication mode adopted in the recent product launches as well as in the national and international shows held during the year. At Post-Expo Iveco has exhibited two vehicles equipped with CNG engines, as exemplars of the excellent powertrain solutions for sustainable mobility: one three-axle Stralis AD260 and a Daily chassis cab, which ensures full versatility and reduced bodybuilding costs. The Iveco stand also exhibited a Daily Vendor van, equipped with a lateral sliding door for urban delivery missions.

Iveco has established a close partnership co-operation with its clients in the mail and parcel sector with a view to optimising bodywork and running costs – amongst others DPWN, FedEx, GeoPost, TNT DHL, UPS and every national post agency in Europe. These excellent clients have chosen Iveco having as one of the main drivers the great attention to the environment Iveco demonstrates through its product range. Co-operation with the customer is the approach Iveco adopts to deliver the most appropriate transport solutions for any operation needs. Flexibility of Daily, Eurocargo and Stralis is evident in vehicle design, apt to allow any bodywork fast, and at low cost.