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• From September this year UK truck buyers will be able to get their hands on the first of a new generation of Iveco Ford tractors, which the company hopes will finally give it the chance to challenge Leyland Daf in the heavy truck market.
The EuroTech range will make its debut at this week's Hanover Show, marking the next stage in the regeneration of Iveco's (and thus Iveco Ford's) truck line-up, which began last year with the Cargo 6-10 and 11-15 tanners.
As the name implies, EuroTech takes over from the TurboTech range.
It will include two and threeaxle rigids for solo or drawbar operation as well as two and three-axle tractive units; the exact UK model line-up has yet to be decided, but [FT's top executives are sure that this market offers great potential for EuroTech.
"Britain is where we feel we can gain most with this truck," says Iveco chief executive Giancarlo Boschetti.
His opinion is supported by Alan Fox, managing director of Iveco Ford, who believes EuroTech will help the company achieve a 20% market share above 16 tonnes by 1995. Fox says that the specification was modified following input from Iveco Ford; it incorporates the results of research involving 20 British fleet engineers and two drivers over a two-year period.
Premium
When it comes to cost, Fox says that spec-for-spec the EuroTech will command a premium price compared with its rivals, but "it will not be the most expensive".
Technically, the new models represent as big an advance ovei their predecessors as do tin New Cargos, with only item! like the basic engine blocks car ried over from the TurboTechs the trucks will be built on up dated lines at Madrid in Spain and 1.:1m in Germany.
The cab takes on the new fam ily look from the New Cargo — but at 2,280mm it is substan tially wider. Four versions an offered: day cab; day cab witl top sleeper; sleeper cab witl normal roof; and sleeper cal with medium roof.
A full-width cab and a high roof sleeper option are no daub being saved up for the Turbo Star replacement which is du( later in the year (and is expecte( to carry the EuroStar tag).
EuroTech cabs come witl four-point springing as standan and air suspension is availabli as an option. The interior has some elements in common with the New Cargos, but with a rather more sombre colour scheme.
Iveco has stuck with its current choice of 9.5 and 13.8-litre charge-cooled sixes, but substantially uprated. The 9.5-litre unit now produces either 254kW (341hp) or 276kW (370hp), while the 13.8-litre lump goes up to 309kW (414hp).
All versions satisfy the forthcoming Euro-1 emissions standard, employing a revised combustion chamber design and a new high-pressure injection system with six-hole injectors. Using the appropriate oil, drain intervals have gone up to 40,000km, As on the Cargos, wastegate turbocharging is used on the 9.5-litre engines to improve response at low revs, while the more powerful variant of this unit has an electronically controlled injection pump (Bosch's EDC system).
Transmissions are ZF Ecosplit synchromesh or Eaton Twin Splitter constant-mesh, with the option of semi-automatic gear shifting on both; the drive axles are single reduction hypoid units with a standard diff-lock.
Innovation
For the running gear, the most noteworthy innovation is the adoption of air-actuated disc brakes on the front axle of all models. Iveco has also given the brake system a higher air pressure (up from 8 to llbar), which has allowed the use of smaller air cylinders.
Iveco makes great play of the increased variety of chassis options, and the three-axle rigids in particular get three kinds of trailing-axle specification.
Initially the tractive unit comes with 4x2 or 6x2 twinsteer configurations, both of which are claimed to be lighter than their TurboTech predecessors; 6x4 double-drive tractors (and rigids) will follow later this year.
All rigids and 4x2 tractors offer the option of rear or all-round air suspension.
Model designation on the EuroTech follows the pattern of the New Cargo, having the GVW (or GCW for tractors) in tonnes multiplied by 10, followed by E, followed by the nominal metric horsepower divided by 10; thus, the 400E34T is a 40-tonne 4x2 tractor with the 254kW (341hP) 9.5-litre engine.