IVECO’s award-winning Daily van range continues to make strong inroads into the Australian rental market, with leading provider Europcar Australia, having recently purchased 15 Daily vans for its Queensland operations.

The Daily 35S13 vans are new 2017 model year variants and satisfied a lot of requirements for Europcar in terms of safety, driveline and environmental performance, coupled with a low total cost of ownership.

Specified for use with short and long-term rental customers, the vans feature IVECO’s efficient 2.3 litre turbodiesel engine producing 126 hp and 320 Nm of torque. The clean-running engine is mated to IVECO’s industry-leading 8-speed full automatic transmission.

The ease of use and reliability of a full automatic transmission was a key requirement of the selection process, according to Europcar Fleet Director – Australia and New Zealand, Philip Lee.

"The easier it is for our clientele to step into the vans and feel comfortable and confident in driving them, the better for them and for Europcar," Philip said.

"Many of the people that will be renting these vans are not regular drivers of commercial vehicles, one of the great things about these Daily models is that they can be driven on a passenger car licence and they’re equipped and drive much more like a car than a van or light truck.

"The cabin layout, seating position and full automatic transmission is a real bonus in this regard."

Another important consideration in Europcar’s selection criteria according to Philip, was a high level of safety features.

"The vehicles’ overall safety package both in terms of active and passive features is impressive," he said.

"Europcar is known in the industry for its modern and safe fleet and we want to maintain this position in the market." 2

The Daily range is equipped with four SRS airbags, front and rear disc brakes with ABS and EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) as well as Hill Holder which prevents rollback when the vans are stationary in traffic on a steep incline.

Other benefits of the Daily include a Bluetooth-equipped radio with steering wheel-mounted controls so the operator maintains full control of the steering wheel at all times, while rear reverse sensors assist in manoeuvring the 12m ³ vans.

On the inside, to ensure safe separation between driver and cargo area, the vans are fitted with a factory bulkhead with window.

Philip said that IVECO vans were extensively used in Europcar’s European operations, and that the Daily models were well regarded amongst overseas depots for their performance and low total cost of ownership.

"The Daily powertrains are known for their efficiency and long oil change intervals of 40,000 kilometres – from a business perspective that’s a real benefit," he said.

"Feedback from our counterparts in Europe on the performance of the Dailys has been overwhelmingly positive."

The 15 new Dailys were purchased by Europcar on a fixed cost operating lease, organised through IVECO’s in house financier, CNH Industrial Capital.

CNH Industrial provides flexible repayment structures that can be tailored to meet a customer’s needs, while also providing added convenience and efficiency during the purchase phase.

"Working with CNH Industrial was a seamless process – from a finance perspective it really made purchasing the vans a hassle-free experience. Given they are always dealing with IVECO products and the commercial vehicle industry, they had a thorough knowledge of what we required," Philip said.

Additional Daily vans are expected to be added to Europcar’s Australian fleet in the coming months.