Iveco is noticing a steady increase in sales of its Agile automated manual gearbox. Last year the two-pedal transmission was specified in 5% of Dailys ordered, but the figure is set to rise to about 8% this year.
However, Iveco UK marketing director Andrea Bucci tells MT that the bulk of orders for the £700 option are from the minibus and emergency vehicle sectors, with most van operators choosing to stay with manual gearboxes. "We do a lot of contract rental fleet business," he says. "And
this is an extremely price-sensitive market."
But Bucci is confident that demand for two-pedal vans is going to continue to grow, and could well become the norm in ten years. "And when it does become popular we will be in an excellent position," he says.
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