Iveco on the road of change at IAA
Iveco on the road of change at IAA
Iveco is determined to drive change. Never has this been more evident than at the IAA. Gerrit Marx, CEO of the Iveco Group, says that partnerships and products will be highlights of the company’s stand this year in Hannover.
If there is one commercial vehicle manufacturer truly ticking all the boxes right now, it’s Iveco. Thanks to sound business acumen and some very smart partnerships, Iveco is revealing an astonishing array of new products and technologies. In keeping with this theme, visitors to the IAA will see even more new products from the company.
Marx addressed journalists at the recent IAA International Press Conference in Frankfurt, making it clear that the company’s success is not due to its financial resources: “We can outpace and outsmart our competitors, but we cannot outspend them; we don’t have deep pockets. But we want to drive change. We have proven this with our liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology,” he pointed out.
One of the ways in which the company has been outsmarting its competitors is via the conclusion of some super-smart partnerships. Back in September 2019, Iveco (via its then-parent company CNH Industrial) announced a “strategic and exclusive partnership” with the Phoenix, Arizona-based Nikola Corporation. The aim was to accelerate industry transformation towards emission neutrality of Class 8 trucks in North America and Europe through the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology. This has been a spectacular success, with Iveco and Nikola inaugurating a joint-venture manufacturing facility for electric heavy-duty trucks in Ulm, Germany, in September last year.
Above: The European version of the battery electric Nikola Tre 4×2 will be on display at the IAA.
Now the trucks can be seen ‘in the metal’, so to speak. “The electric Nikola Tre will be shown at the IAA. Specifically, the European version of the battery electric Nikola Tre 4×2 will be on display. The fuel cell version of the Tre for the European market will also be on display. These are electric-born platforms. It is not a case of ripping out the diesel engine and replacing it with electric components,” Marx noted. He also revealed that the battery electric Tre will be available to drive at the IAA – and we can’t wait!
Yet another super-smart partnership was concluded with Hyundai. In March this year, the two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore “possible collaborations on shared vehicle technology, joint sourcing, and mutual supply”. Marx went on to promise, “At the IAA, we will reveal a bit more about the Hyundai partnership. You will also learn more about the concrete platforms that we have with Hyundai.”
Of course, the company hasn’t only been busy with partnerships; it has also been rolling out new Iveco products, and the big news at the IAA will be the world premiere of the electric Daily. “It will be a fully modular platform. You can choose one, two, or three batteries. A prototype of a Daily with a fuel cell will also be shown,” Marx told the gathered journalists.
He also sounded a warning that the transport industry will need to face the fact that zero-emission transport will be more expensive. “Changing the industry won’t come at a cheap price. Let’s not be naïve about this. It is going to be costly. If someone struggles to see the way forward with gas, which is only slightly more expensive than diesel, then wait until other technologies arrive. Battery electric will cost three to four times more and fuel cell will cost five times more. Thus, costs will increase. I hope drivers’ salaries will increase because their role will become more complex,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Marx believes that the future is somewhat uncertain. “Hence, we are exploring the full range of technology. We are not only focusing on one or two technologies because we don’t know what will win. In a few years down the road, it will become apparent which technology will win. However, multiple technologies – and not one single technology – will replace diesel,” he predicted.
We look forward to seeing all those technologies on Iveco’s IAA stand next month.
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