Trucking News: Iveco launches its range of vehicles in Malaysia

(L-R) Iveco GM Koray Kursunoglu, Iveco Regional MD Michele Lombardi, Federal Auto MD Cheng Seng Fook and Iveco Biz Mngr Ken Choy with the Stralis prime mover

Iveco, one of the world leaders in road transportation, enters the fast-growing truck market in Malaysia in partnership with exclusive distributor Federal Auto Holdings Berhad. Today, it has introduced a full range of vehicles and services that provide complete solutions for the commercial vehicles industry. 

At the press conference earlier today, they officially presented to the Malaysian market the Iveco Stralis and Iveco 682 heavy commercial vehicles, the Iveco Trakker off-road truck, the Iveco Eurocargo medium truck and also the New Daily light commercial vehicle. These models will be on display to the public at the Malaysia International Bus, Truck & Components Expo, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur on 14-16 May 2015.

The models mentioned above will be initially sold as CBU (completely built up) units initially and will be locally assembled in the very near future. Prices are targeted for to begin at RM106,000+ for the New Daily light commercial vehicle, RM244,000+ for the 682 heavy truck to over RM400,000 for the heavy duty 6x4 Trakker.

Federal Auto will open the first Iveco 3S centre in Glenmarie and has plans to open up one in Butterworth, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu within the next couple of years. Aside from these centres, there are plans to engage up to 15 more dealers that will open up additional service centres throughout Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak (Sabah will be handled by Federal Auto themselves).

Prior to this, Iveco's presence in Malaysia was limited to their buses being used by Intrakota (pre-Rapid KL) and by the Ministry of Health with about 400 units of ambulances. These will now be maintained under the this new partnership between Iveco and Federal Auto.

Personally, the trucks are impressive. I was talked through a few of the vehicles by one of their very proficient sales staff and even got the Iveco Trakker (the green giant above) started up. The cabin in the Euro-specced Truck was super well equipped with enough cubby holes and space for the drive to be comfortable on long hauls. The plastics used were very high grade and looked like they would last a fair bit. All packaged in a very capable looking heavy duty truck chassis with full locking diffs at the pair of axles at the rear. Actually well worth the over RM400,000 that Iveco wants to charge. The high quality interior is also there for the light commercial vehicle, the New Daily. The driving position is car like and the interior (below) is inviting with comfortable seats and chunky controls.

On the other hand, the 682 offers minimal frills and affordability for truck operators. The model shown was assembled in China and the key factor to this truck is affordability. You can see that in the less frills cabin with more plasticky looking..errr...plastics. It is less premium than the others which are Euro specced vehicles but still providing the same levels of equipment if not the looks.. The 682 offers a long haul truck for around RM244,000+. Competitively priced in my opinion.

Enough headroom for most people in the New Daily panel van

PRESS RELEASE

Iveco Launches its Full Range of Solutions for the Commercial Vehicles Sector in Malaysia with Distributor Federal Auto
Kuala Lumpur, 28th April, 2015

(R - L) Iveco Regional MD Michele Lombardi, Federal Auto (FA) Sales Head Chan Kong Art, Iveco Biz Mngr Ken Choy, FA Operations Head Lim Chin Teong, FA MD Cheng Seng Fook and Iveco GM Koray Kursunoglu

Iveco, a CNH Industrial brand, introduces to the press its full range of commercial vehicles for Malaysia in partnership with Federal Auto Holdings Berhad. Federal Auto was appointed last year as the exclusive distributor for the sale of Iveco vehicles, service support and the sale of genuine spare parts in the market.

The joint press conference, held today by Iveco and Federal Auto at the Saujana Hotel Resort, in Kuala Lumpur, was the first official event for the brand in the country. Top Management from Iveco and Federal Auto presented their business strategy for the market, and their plans for the further development of the sales and service network. These include training programmes to ensure customers are supported by professional, skilled staff. They introduced the wide range of vehicles for Malaysia and presented five key new product ranges in the Iveco line-up: the Daily light commercial vehicle and International Van of the Year 2015, the Trakker off-road truck, the Eurocargo medium truck and, the Stralis Truck of the Year 2013, and the 682 heavy commercial vehicles. The product offering is complemented with a full range of after-sales and financing which will take advantage of Federal Auto‘s local presence in the country.

Iveco is a global manufacturer with a wide range of light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, off-road trucks, and vehicles for special applications. Its full line of vehicles ranges from the lightest 3.5-ton vans for urban use to the 60 ton heavy vehicles for long distance haulage and heavy loads. Iveco is able to leverage on the global R&D resources and economies of scale of CNH Industrial in order to bring its customers around the world the most advanced technologies and safe, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles at competitive costs.

Michele Lombardi, APAC Iveco Brand Leader, said that the company was pleased to have found a strong and committed partner in Malaysia: “Malaysia is an important market with a dynamic automotive sector. We are entering this competitive market with a full line of 14 models, and with the help of Federal Auto, we are confident that discerning fleet and transport operators and business owners in Malaysia will appreciate the proven quality, durability, reliability and, most importantly, the cost-efficiency of Iveco products. The technology that goes into every Iveco vehicle has proved its worth on roads around the world and in the extreme conditions of the Dakar rally.”

“I would like to thank the management of Federal Auto for the excellent cooperation that has led to us being here today. They are a very dedicated, professional team and I am proud that they are representing Iveco trucks and buses as our exclusive distributor in Malaysia. I believe that Iveco and its customers will thrive in Malaysia together with Federal Auto and their strong team,“ concluded Lombardi.

Federal Auto is today one of the most dynamic automotive dealers in Malaysia with strong business ethics, impeccable integrity and a solid reputation built over five decades. Its representation of world-class automotive brands has come about through its long experience and expertise in the business, as well as the resources and its drive to succeed.

Speaking at the media launch of Iveco in Malaysia, Federal Auto managing director Cheng Seng Fook said that the company was delighted to add such an established brand to its portfolio of premium automotive marques: “We are proud to announce that Iveco is now here in Malaysia and able to offer our customers a range that no other brand can. We will have a complete line-up that will cater for the growing demands of the trucking industry not only in terms of the tonnage required but also in terms of power, torque, safety, ergonomics and comfort and reliability.”

A full range of vehicles for the Malaysian market
Iveco offers the Malaysian market a total of 14 models, including the Daily light commercial vehicle, Stralis and 682 heavy commercial vehicles, Trakker off-road truck and Eurocargo medium truck previewed at the press conference. All products and model variants will be rolled out in stages, during the next 18 months.

The New Daily is expected to be a best seller in the country. A point of reference in its category for its unique total cost of ownership, comfort, driveability, productivity, and sustainability, it was named 2015 International Van of the Year. The vehicle is presented in the Van model (both panel van and window van), 10.8 m3, with wheelbase of 3,520 mm and with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3.5 tonnes, as well as in the Chassis cab model with the wheelbase of 3450  mm and a GVW up to 5 tonnes. Both Daily van and chassis cab models are powered by the Iveco 3.0-liter F1C engine with 146 hp.

The Iveco Stralis heavy commercial vehicle is an excellent solution for the haulage industry due to its low fuel consumption, high reliability, superior safety features, best-in-class cabin ergonomics and comfort.  The on-road vehicle, with a gross combined weight (GCW) up to 44 tonnes, is presented in the following models: 4x2, tractor with rear air suspension, rough road version; 6x2 tractor with rear air suspension, twin wheels, third rear lift axle; 6x4 tractor with rear air suspension, for heavy mission. The Stralis is equipped with the Iveco cursor 10 engine, which is a 10.3-litre, 6-cylinder in-line engine, with a power rating of 430 hp. These outstanding features at the top of the category earned this model the Truck of the year 2013 at IAA show in Hannover, Germany.

The Iveco 682 heavy-duty truck is the optimal combination of cost efficiency, strength and cutting-edge technology. It is currently offered in 4x2 (GCW 43 tonnes) and 6x4 (GCW 60 tonnes) variants for the tractor model, which is available in the on-road version. The truck is also presented in 6x4 (GVW 33 tonnes) and 8x4 (GVW 41 tonnes) variants for the tipper and mixer models, available in the off-road version. The 682 is powered either by Iveco cursor 9 or cursor 13 engines. The cursor 9 is an 8.7-litre, six-cylinder in-line engine available in three different power ratings: 290 hp, 340 hp and 380 hp, while the cursor 13 is a 12.8- litre, six-cylinder in line engine available in two power ratings: 430 hp and 480 hp.

The Iveco Trakker is a high performance and robust truck designed to operate in the extreme off-road conditions often found in the construction and mining industries. The vehicle is presented in the 6x4 tractor model, with a GCW up to 60 tonnes. It is powered by the Iveco cursor 13, a 12.8-litre, six-cylinder in-line engine available with 420 hp.

The Iveco Eurocargo medium truck offers unprecedented reliability, flexibility and versatility.  It is available in multiple variations to suit different needs. The on-road vehicle is currently presented in the 4x2  truck model, with mechanical suspension, with a GVW up to 18 tonnes. Eurocargo features a tector 6, a 5.9-litre, six-cylinder in-line engine available with 280 hp.