Iveco adds Daily Minibus to popular driveaway options range

Iveco has added a 17 seat Daily minibus to its popular DriveAway Options range, enabling operators to order a new minibus and have it on the road almost immediately.

The Daily DriveAway Options programme means customers only have to deal with their local Iveco dealer, instead of co-ordinating between two or more suppliers. It also means significantly shorter delivery times, coupled with lower costs and higher residual values.

Chris Thorneycroft-Smith, Managing Director of Iveco, explains: "The minibus market accounted for 8,000 new vehicle sales in 2005 between 2.8 and 6.5 tonnes, with the 3.501 to 6.500 tonne segment increasing by 94 per cent to nearly 3,000 units. At this weight Daily really comes into its own against other models on the market, and we are expecting a strong take-up of orders with our new ‘off-the-shelf’ Daily minibus."

The 17-seater utilises Daily’s 40C12 chassis and features a comprehensive specification including driver and dual front passenger airbags with seatbelt pretentioners, together with remote central locking. It also includes ABS to prevent wheel lock under braking and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), together with a CD and MP3 player, heated rear door windows, sliding spare wheel carrier and a 140 amp alternator, to guard against flat batteries.

The fully trimmed passenger saloon is completed by Derbyshire-based Advanced Vehicle Builders, which has been manufacturing minibuses since 1976. It benefits from easy clean slip-resistant flooring, glazed passenger saloon windows with sliding openings at the top and height adjustable three-point seatbelts on comfortable M1 category saloon seats with head restraints.

Priced at £26,200, the Daily DriveAway Options minibus is powered by Iveco’s 2.3 litre HPI diesel engine, which is capable of developing up to 116hp. It is also available with a 3.0 litre diesel engine producing 136 hp, or with Iveco’s state-of-the art AGile semi-automated transmission, subject to a short lead time.

It can also be specified with a range of optional extras including electronic stability programme (ESP), full insulation, reversing sensors, engine bay fire extinguisher, reverse bleeper, manual or automatic side step, 4kW fuel powered saloon heater, coach roof vent or a quick release system for the back row of seats (to enable extra luggage to be carried).

The minibus joins an extensive collection of Daily vehicles within Iveco’s DriveAway Options programme, which includes Luton vans, tautliner curtainsiders, refrigerated vans, steel or aluminium tippers, 3-way steel tippers and dropsides.