IVECO Australia has strengthened its commitment to Australian truck and bus manufacturing by announcing an additional Stralis model will be built in Dandenong, Melbourne.

Currently sold in Australia as a fully imported model, from the fourth quarter of 2017 the Stralis ATi will be assembled at IVECO‘s Dandenong facility and become known as the Stralis AT. Selected components including mirrors, wheel angles, trailer connections, batteries, wheels and liquids will be sourced locally.

The Stralis AT variants will include a 6×4 prime mover and 6×2 rigid in a variety of specification options, and will join existing Stralis AS-L, Powerstar, ACCO and Delta and Metro bus chassis models, which are locally built and or manufactured in Melbourne.

The addition of the Stralis AT to the production mix will see the Dandenong facility undergo investment in tooling and software to calibrate the AT‘s adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning systems, introducing new technology to the site.

Australian buyers will enjoy several benefits from the local production of AT models including greatly reduced lead times from vehicle order to delivery, and the ability to customise to order by adding factory-fitted special options and local accessories.

IVECO Australia managing director, Michael Jonson, said the increase in local production highlighted the company‘s commitment to Australian manufacturing.

“IVECO is one of only a few remaining commercial vehicle brands to manufacture here – this latest expansion in Australian-based production demonstrates the company‘s commitment to having a strong local manufacturing presence.”

Jonson said the addition of Stralis AT variants to the local production mix along with other initiatives would see an increase in the workforce.

“This is good for the local workforce but also for Australian truck buyers who can further reap the benefits that locally-manufactured vehicles provide. The expansion of local production not only reflects a strong belief from IVECO Australia that local manufacturing is sustainable, but the initiative is also strongly supported by IVECO‘s parent company, CNH Industrial,” Jonson said.