The Iveco Daily has been awarded the inaugural International Minibus of the Year 2017 by the Bus, Coach and Minibus of the Year international jury, comprising senior journalists representing 18 major road transport magazines from Europe.

The International Minibus of the Year was created to recognise minibuses and midibuses designed for professional passenger transport, and it‘s the latest in a long series of awards won by the Daily across the world.

The award was announced at the opening of the FIAA 2017 International Bus and Coach Trade Fair held in Madrid, Spain with the jury judging the Daily to have performed very well during testing against six other competitors. The vehicles were evaluated in real road conditions with uphill and downhill sections, motorways, narrow roads and a variety of other environments.

Tom Terjesen, president of the Bus & Coach of the Year jury, summed up the jury vote, saying Iveco Daily combined high quality bodywork, together with a premium comfort for the passenger.

“The driveline with a strong Euro6 diesel engine and the best gearbox ever made in this class, makes the trip an experience to remember. The high capacity of luggage and a great idea with a flap inside the luggage compartment give even more space if needed.

“The fact that this is a complete factory built minibus makes the maintenance and service more efficient wherever you are on the road in Europe”.

Iveco Australia recently previewed the Daily Mini Coach locally to the country‘s leading transport journalists, who were also impressed with the models‘ performance.

The two model variants of the Iveco Daily Mini Coach due for release here will be on display at the Bus & Coach Conference, 4 to 6 October in Rotorua a fortnight.

Kristi Walker, product manager Iveco New Zealand, says the vehicle will be leading the industry with high horsepower, the Hi-Matic 8-speed transmission, standard electric plug door, rear air suspension, luggage racks, leg room and more.

“We are working diligently between Auckland, Melbourne and Turin to expand and customise our product line-up specifically for New Zealand and I think the results are certainly showing. The launch of the award-winning Daily Mini Coach is the latest arrival into the country and we are very proud of the award won in Spain earlier in the year.”

Walker says the New Zealand Daily Mini Coach will be standard with a market-expected Euro 5 engine, also an optional Euro 6 engine.