The new IVECO Daily Blue Power range has picked up the most prestigious of light commerical vehicle sector awards after being crowned International Van of the Year 2018.
IVECO’s new light segment van and chassis cab range fought off strong competition to take the win, just three years after Daily won the 2015 title. It's the third title too, as the Daily also won the award back in 2000.
The prestigious award is recognition of the brand’s focus on using technology to improve sustainability, with judges agreeing the Daily Blue Power “puts together the main and viable solutions to reduce the environmental impact of LCVs in urban and suburban operations.” They highlighted the fact that with this range “IVECO has the sustainable vehicles the market is asking for” and that the range's “Electric, Natural Gas and SCR are all proven technologies developed by IVECO.”
The jury was particularly impressed by the technical innovation of IVECO’s new range and for “presenting the new Real Driving Emission diesel engine now - three years ahead of the EU’s RDE regulation which will be mandatory for vans - far ahead of any competitor” and by the absolute driving pleasure of the Daily Hi-Matic Natural Power.
The 25-member jury panel consisting of light commercial vehicle magazine editors and journalists collectively awarded the Iveco Daily Blue Power 113 points with the new Ford transit Custom as runner-up receiving 79 points. The other podium place went to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles with its latest Gas powered Caddy TGI model. Five brands were in contention for this prestigious annual prize, which also included the MAN TGE and Renault Kangoo Z.E.33.
The announcement and presentation of a newly designed trophy was made at a Gala Banquet held in association with SOLUTRANS 2017 a Lyon, France, which was attended by 1,500 representatives from the European commercial vehicle industry.
Jarlath Sweeney, International Van of the Year Chairman, summed up the jury vote: “Congratulations to IVECO on the impressive development achievements with the Daily Blue Power. IVECO has always been on the forefront of sustainability in the LCV segment. The new Daily Blue Power range confirms this position.”
Receiving the award, Pierre Lahutte, IVECO Brand President, commented: “In the year of its 40th anniversary, the Daily has been elected as the International Van of the Year for the third time. Beyond the acclaimed and successful product, this award recognizes the tremendous efforts made by IVECO to decisively contribute to the battle for clean air in our cities and CO2 emission reductions. Daily Blue Power in its electric, natural gas and most advanced diesel versions, is the first and only vehicle to offer three choices that anticipate regulations increasingly impacting access to urban centres. This secures our customers’ investment and gives them the competitive advantage they need to develop their sustainable businesses.”
Launched internationally in October 2017, the Daily Blue Power range is unique in the market for offering customers a choice between three different technologies to match the specific requirements of their mission and business. The line-up includes:
Daily Electric: a zero-emissions vehicle designed to operate in cities with the strictest traffic restrictions, offering an extended range of up to 200 km in real urban conditions and battery performance optimised for all weathers. Its fast charge setting of just 2 hours is complemented by an Eco-Power driving mode and regenerative braking feature which further enhances efficiency.
Daily Euro 6 RDE 2020 Ready: the most advanced diesel-powered LCV on the market, and the first to be tested and verified for Real Driving Emissions (RDE). This model anticipates the challenging 2020 environmental targets with a solution verified independently by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), and available to buy today. Power comes from a right-sized engine, IVECO’s 2.3-litre F1A, which was fully re-engineered in 2016 and offers a higher displacement than other manufacturers, delivering greater durability and naturally low real driving NOx emissions. The Daily Euro 6 RDE 2020 Ready is also extremely fuel efficient: it uses up to 7% less fuel compared to the current version thanks to its Start&Stop system and Michelin Agilis+ eco-tyres.
Daily Hi-Matic Natural Power: the industry’s first compressed natural gas-powered LCV with the class-exclusive 8-speed automatic gearbox, which delivers absolute driving pleasure. This extremely quiet urban vehicle delivers the robustness, performance and reliability that Daily is best known for, together with greater comfort and a 2.5% fuel economy advantage versus a manual transmission, together with reduced emissions and best-in-class driveability. Its 3-litre F1C engine generates 136 hp to deliver best-in-class torque of 350 Nm, producing 76% less particulate matter (PM) and 12% less NOx emissions than its Euro VI 3.0-litre diesel equivalent. In real urban driving conditions, CO2 emissions are normally 3% lower than diesel – but this rises to 5% thanks to the advanced Hi-Matic transmission. If bio-methane is used, CO2 emissions are close to zero, with a 95% reduction.
