Iveco motorhome sales booming

Australian motorhome buyers are increasingly opting for Iveco Daily-based platforms as their vehicle of choice for extended travel across Australia.

According to local importer Iveco Australia, sales of Daily cab-chassis have almost doubled over the past three years, since the updated Daily was released locally in 2015 with a 125kW/430Nm 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.

Iveco said the surge in popularity of the Iveco cab-chassis with motorhome buyers is reflected in the latest Truck Industry Council sales data, which confirms the Italian vehicle as Australia’s highest-selling European light truck cab chassis with 8.5 per cent of the market.

“Unlike some other manufacturers that supply to the motorhome market, the Daily has retained its tough, C section truck chassis, delivering added durability for Australia’s varied and demanding road conditions, while also providing motorhome builders with a simple platform on which to build their bodies,” the local truck importer said.

Australia’s major motorhome manufacturers are also offering more models based on the Daily platform, including Avida which uses the Iveco Daily as a base for its latest Ceduna, Esperance and Fremantle motorhome models.

“The best features of the Daily for motorhome applications are the full automatic transmission, rear wheel drive orientation and a generous towing capacity which really suits our requirements for these models,” Avida Dealer Development/Sales and Marketing Manager, Billy Falconer said.

Australia’s top-selling RV manufacturer Jayco bases its mid-range Conquest and top-spec Optimum motorhomes on the Iveco cab-chassis.

“In the range we use the Daily, it is the only cab chassis model that we would consider,” Jayco National Sales Manager–Motorhome, Scott Jones said. “Our buyers love the luxury and power the Daily offers. It makes driving a large motorhome easy for them and the trip more enjoyable.”

Fast-growing caravan and motorhome manufacturer Apollo also builds five of its Winnebago-badged models on the Iveco platform at its Brisbane factory.

“Iveco represents an important component of our retail motorhome product range,” Winnebago Marketing Manager, Isaac Stefaniw, said. “We receive a lot of positive feedback from customers based on (the Iveco's) features.”