FAR FROM BASIC
The Iveco Daily minibus range has grown in Australia, with today’s test drive vehicle - the Shuttle 22 - the latest offering to the range. With a modern European design, the Daily minibus is available in 11-, 16- and 22-seat sizes, plus driver, with two trim levels – Shuttle and Executive – to meet the demands of the local minibus market.
Speaking with regional sales manager George Stavrinou, we asked about the development of the range.
“The first model came out around three years ago,” he explained.
“We launched a 16 plus one [16 plus driver] in a Shuttle, which is the base model, and an Executive with leather seats [that is] a bit more upmarket. Then we followed with an 11 plus one, and we’ve had very good success with that. Around a year ago we brought out the 22 plus one, which is this model that you see in front of us and this is the latest model to the range.”
As to why a 22-seat Shuttle seemed like the right way to expand, Stavrinou explained: “We felt like the 16-seater served a niche market, but we had requests from customers that really wanted to carry more passengers. So, we had a look at what we had available as far as chassis, and 22 was a good fit for the particular size of body that that we had available.
“It meets a gap in the range and the target market will be rental companies that have minibuses on board: local tour operators, airport shuttle, aged care transport and government departments. We’ve built based on
