Daily Minibus: for a new perspective of passenger transport

Wednesday 10th April 2019

The newest generation of the Daily Minibus can meet all passenger transport needs: a school minibus to transport schoolchildren, an intercity bus with the largest passenger capacity in its category and a touring minibus for pleasant, comfortable travel.

The New Daily Minibus takes connectivity to a new level, unlocking a world of highly personalised services precisely tailored to the driver's real use of the vehicle and providing a complete transport solution that will change the way to transport passengers.

IVECO BUS has launched the New Daily Minibus - available in diesel and alternatives energies - to the international press at the CNH Industrial Village in Turin, Italy. This two-day event included a plenary conference, digital interactive workshops and test drives of the new vehicle.

It was also the first meeting with the press for Gerrit Marx, President of Commercial and Specialty Vehicles since he joined IVECO and for the Daily team leaders in their new roles -
Raffaele Di Donfrancesco as Head of LCV Global Product Line and Sergio Piperno Beer as Light Line Business Director.

IVECO BUS has designed the 'minibus' version of the Daily, developing a vehicle which sees the long-recognised qualities of the Daily combined with all the expertise of a passenger transportation industry leader.

This new generation - available in diesel and alternatives energies - further improves the existing one to meet all passenger transport needs: a school minibus to transport schoolchildren (Pop), a shuttle minibus perfect for the short trips (Start), an intercity bus with the largest passenger capacity in its category (Line) and a touring minibus for pleasant, comfortable travel (Tourys).

A Daily minibus for every mission

Daily Pop

With three different lengths and engine power (160hp, 180hp and 210hp), the Daily Pop is perfect to transport schoolchildren. It offers a very high passenger capacity, for an optimised total cost of ownership: up to 32 passengers for secondary school and to 45 for elementary school.

Daily Start

The Daily Start is a six-meter-long 'entry-level' vehicle. Simple, functional and profitable, it shares with the Daily both its DNA and the features that have already seen many years of success.

Available with either a 150hp or a 180hp engine and three different lengths, it offers multiple interior layouts to accommodate up to 22 passengers and a dedicated standard configuration of the Daily Start is equipped with a manual sliding door with a footboard. The vehicle's entrance has been redesigned to meet the R107 standard concerning step
dimensions.

To increase the Daily's versatility, the basic version can be improved with options such as the electric sliding door with a retractable step, or centralised air conditioning. The Daily Start is thus positioned as a vehicle suitable for a wide variety of uses, from an airport or river shuttle to a taxi service.

Daily Line

Available in three lengths and with three-door types (manual, electric or sliding), the Daily Line is ideal for extra-urban travel. It offers a very high passenger capacity and low operating costs. With its different seating configurations, it can accommodate up to 22 passengers.

Thanks to the rear platform and quick-release seats in the last few rows, available upon request, the Daily Line facilitates access for passengers with reduced mobility. It can also be equipped with special features such as a ramp for wheelchair users, route displays, space for ticket validation machines and stop request buttons.

Daily Tourys

The Daily Tourys is the perfect touring minibus to travel with comfort and style. Its atmospheric LED lighting improves the vehicle's interior light and passenger wellbeing. The 2.5 m3 baggage
compartment and the new interior racks make it the best in its class in terms of total storage space. It is fully compliant with the anti-rollover standard (R66.02).

Available in three lengths, it is equipped with pneumatic rear suspension, air conditioning, an audiovisual multimedia setup, USB plugs for each pair of seats and the much-appreciated LDWS driving assistance system, which prevents the driver from being distracted or nodding off.

The exclusive eight-speed Hi-Matic transmission, now a standard feature, guarantees maximum performance with low operating costs and the utmost in driving pleasure. Faster and more precise than the traditional six-speed manual transmission, it offers changes without torque interruption in less than 200 milliseconds for high-level performance.

Daily Minibus Blue Power: when sustainable transport becomes a reality

In the face of the current trend towards decarbonisation and increasingly tight restrictions on transportation in urban areas, environmentally friendly practices have become a competitive advantage for transport companies. Sustainable development, which has always been a key value for IVECO BUS, is now a reality thanks to alternative tractions, such as electrical and natural gas, developed by the brand.

Pioneers in these technologies for over 20 years, IVECO BUS has now reached the culmination of this work. The Blue Power offering, unique on the market, offers true freedom of choice between two technologies - natural gas and electric - to perfectly meet the specific requirements of different missions (airport connections, shuttles, school transportation, etc.).

Daily Minibus Natural Power

It is equipped with a 3-litre 136hp engine with 350 Nm of torque, the best in its class. This engine is extremely rugged and guarantees higher torque and better handling, for optimum performance with no compromises.

The environmental performance of the Daily Minibus Natural Power is just as remarkable as diesel: its engine complies with the Euro 6/D standard, with 76 per cent less fine particle emissions and 12 per cent less nitrogen oxide emissions than a diesel engine, which already generates very low emissions. In real operating conditions in an urban context, the CO2 emissions of the CNG engine are 3 per cent lower than those of the equivalent diesel engine.

The application of Hi-Matic transmission to natural gas further improves this performance by extending the difference to 5 per cent. In addition, when used with biomethane, CO2 emissions can be reduced even further, by up to 95 per cent. It's the first time that the Natural Power engine is combined with the exclusive Hi-Matic eight-speed automatic transmission.

This combination offers a whole new dimension to passenger transport, making the Daily Minibus Hi-Matic Natural Power the best in its class in terms of performance and respect for the environment. A Telma retarder can also be added, to further improve driving comfort and passenger safety.

The Daily Minibus Natural Power is also highly fuel-efficient. The lower price for compressed natural gas, when compared with diesel, results in a very competitive cost per kilometre. Indeed, when factors such as fuel price, engine efficiency and energy value are taken into account, natural gas can generate cost savings in comparison with diesel. As such, it is an economically sustainable solution.

Besides, the significantly lower sound level makes this vehicle remarkably clean and quiet, a major advantage in low-emission zones.

Daily Minibus Electric

Launched in 2009 and continuously improved since, the Daily Minibus Electric has won many admirers thanks to its efficiency, versatility and complete respect for the environment, which extends all the way to 100 per cent recyclable batteries.

The Daily Minibus Electric is a unique vehicle that can be driven even in cities with very strict traffic restrictions. This zero-emission minibus is ideal for city centres and shuttle services. It has a range of 100 or 160 km with two or three high-density sodium nickel chloride batteries combined with high-power ultra-capacitors that improve the vehicle's performance and battery life.

The regenerative braking system recaptures kinetic energy and converts it into electricity to recharge the traction batteries. The flexible charging mode, patented by IVECO, is composed of an electrical outlet and a single plug that can recharge from a domestic outlet in 24 hours, from a public or private outlet in 10 hours, or in a public rapid-charging station in two hours.

Functional design and best-in-class driving experience

The Daily Minibus is instantly recognisable for its design, which has become part of its strong identity. The new front grid has been extended to increase ventilation while protecting the engine and radiator. It is also extremely tough and durable because of the hot stamping process used to produce it.

Design elements also contribute to a lower TCO: the new bumper is divided into three sections, so that in a small accident, only the damaged piece needs to be replaced instead of the whole bumper. This results in significantly lower repair costs - especially since this is the case 90 per cent of the time according to IVECO's statistics.

The entire steering system has been redesigned, so that the driver can make both axial and angular adjustments to the steering wheel and set up the perfect driving position. The smaller, leather multifunctional steering wheel puts a wide range of controls at their fingertips and leaves more legroom, adding to the overall comfort.

The Daily also features a new Electric Power Steering, which is very precise and reactive to the driver's inputs, damps vibration, and compensates for drift and wheel unbalances, providing a smooth driving experience and a feeling of stability and control.

The new instrument cluster features a TFT high-resolution colour display that provides a very user-friendly, intuitive interface with the all vehicle's key settings and functionalities.

The New Daily Minibus also provides the comfortable living conditions and driving experience of a passenger car. The new Hi-Connect infotainment system with voice recognition enables the driver to mirror their mobile device with Apple Car Play and Android Auto™ and use their apps in full safety while driving. It features a 7' screen, DAB radio, rear camera display, and TOM navigation system.

Technology: assisted driving and enhanced safety for both driver and passengers

The New Daily Minibus introduces a wide range of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems to improve safety on board, for both passengers and driver. The Advanced Emergency Braking System and City Brake PRO prevents collisions at speeds below 50 km/h, or mitigates the impact at higher speeds. It autonomously detects the potential for a collision ahead and brakes accordingly without the driver's intervention. It goes even further with the City Brake PRO, which operates to prevent accidents when driving as slowly as 5 km/h.

Safety is always ensured with Adaptive Cruise Control, which maintains the set speed and safety distance from the vehicle ahead, and ProActive Lane Keeping Assist, which prevents from involuntarily drifting out of the lane. The new LED lights have a much sharper beam that carries further, improving visibility and obstacle perception by 15 per cent, further enhancing safety in low-light conditions.

The New Daily Minibus also uses technology to reduce the driver's stress levels. In urban missions, where customers often drive in heavy traffic, Queue Assist will make a big difference by following the vehicle ahead and automatically operating the accelerator and brakes to keep their place in a queue, eliminating the stress of stop-start traffic. City Mode increases the power steering assistance, reducing the effort to turn the wheel by up to 70 per cent, making it easy to manoeuvre in city streets.

It helps the driver in challenging driving conditions with features such as Hill Descent Control, which helps them drive downhill slowly and safely on long, steep slopes, and Traction Plus, which keeps a firm grip on slippery surfaces, such as sand, mud or snow. The New Daily is the first vehicle in its class to offer these two features on Rear Wheel Drive models.

The New Daily Minibus reduces fatigue and improves productivity with the Electric Parking Brake, which automatically engages when the vehicle is parked and disengages when the driver is ready to drive away. In multi-stop missions such as school transport or airport shuttle, this feature lessens arm discomfort from repetitive movements and saves time, improving the driver's productivity. This feature has the added advantage of resulting in more free space for the driver to move across the cab comfortably, as hand brake lever has been eliminated.

Connectivity: a world of new services for a maximize uptime

The New Daily Minibus once again breaks new ground in connectivity and puts the vehicle in direct contact with IVECO's Control Room, providing real-time data. This enables IVECO specialists to maximize the vehicle's uptime by conducting remote diagnostics and taking preventative actions, planning maintenance and service interventions efficiently to optimize the number of visits to the workshop, minimizing stoppages.

The real-time data provided by the vehicle also enables IVECO to develop new tailor-made
financing offers. These plans take into consideration the fluctuations in the customer's operations, which may mean the vehicle is used less than originally expected and adjust payments accordingly. The data also enables IVECO to make accurate forecasts of the vehicle's use and develop maintenance contracts that closely match the customer's operation.

The connectivity also offers telematics solutions to help to optimize efficiency. The MyDaily portal, also accessible through the MyDaily app, enables vehicle owners to monitor their Daily from their desktop computer or on the move from their mobile device. They can analyse its performance and fuel consumption, as well as the driver's driving style. The Daily will also send regular Smart Reports on the vehicle's key parameters with suggestions on how to improve the driving style to save fuel. Customers can also plan the Daily's service interventions to push its efficiency to its maximum.

For fleet managers, the New Daily offers a complete solution powered by Verizon Connect that will enable them to reduce the fleet's expenses with better navigation, fleet visibility, advanced engine diagnostics and real-time mileage reporting. Its wide-ranging functionalities can help them manage delays, accommodate changing delivery schedules and respond faster to their customers, improve maintenance scheduling and fleet safety, monitor driving hours, and much more.

Customers who already have their own fleet management system can receive all the New Daily's data through its Web API interface, which can seamlessly interact with it.

Suzzara and Brescia: home of the New Daily Minibus

The New Daily Minibus is manufactured at IVECO's production plant in Suzzara, Italy, which is entirely dedicated to this product family. It is, then, trimmed in Brescia where a whole operating unit is dedicated to the bodywork and the customisation to meet the customer requirements.

The facility applies the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodology that aims to create error-free processes to achieve zero defects, zero waste and zero accidents. It is a continuous
improvement process that centres on the involvement of every operator involved in production. The Suzzara plant has achieved Silver Medal certification, which attests to the high levels of quality it delivers and is working towards Gold. The plant has also extended this approach to the Daily's Product Development and Engineering processes by introducing the World Class Engineering methodology, which starts from the customer's requirements to develop the best product that matches them.

The New Daily project has been the focus of the plant's Engineering and Manufacturing teams for the past three years and has entailed more than 800,000 engineering hours, 650 virtual and physical tests, 165 prototypes, and more than 3.2 million kilometres of durability and reliability testing. The project aimed to achieve a further step in quality product behaviour and process efficiencies. A key area of focus for the project was the reduction of product and process complexity while expanding further the extensive line-up, maintaining the professional DNA of the Daily.