Less than two years after receiving its first allocation of Daily vans, leading rental company, Europcar, recently took delivery of its 200thDaily vehicle, having earlier in the year expanded its partnership with IVECO to include the supply of Europcar’s new Pantech-body trucks.
The company was initially attracted to the Daily range due to its combination of safety features, car-like driving characteristics, low cost of ownership and modern appearance –important benefits that remain core to all Daily models.
Initially purchasing Daily vans, Europcar has now also added Pantech body Daily cab chassis to its rental fleet.
Europcar Head of Fleet Procurement and Planning, Laura Harewood, said that with the strong performance of the earlier models, Europcar had no hesitation in investing in the Daily range to further grow its commercial rental fleet.
“Since having the Daily 35S van model in our fleet, the feedback from our clients has been very positive,” Laura said.
With a 12m³ volume capacity and over 1.5 tonnes of payload, Laura said this particular model Daily was an ideal specification for rental applications. “It’s a great size in that it has a solid payload and carrying capacity while still being easy to drive and manoeuvrable,” she said.
“We have a range of customers using the Daily product, from those renting it for the weekend to move house, all the way through to freight and transportation companies who might take a vehicle for several weeks to meet a contract need or while their vehicle is off the road for maintenance.
Europcar selected the Daily models due to their car-like driving characteristics, safety features, low cost of ownership benefits and their modern styling.
“For the most part though, our clientele is not regular drivers of commercial vehicles, so we need to provide them with a vehicle that drives very similarly to a passenger car, and the Dailyshines at doing this.”
The strong relationship between Europcar and IVECO was recently expanded to include the supply of Daily Cab Chassis’ with Pantech bodies. In a segment historically dominated by Japanese offerings, Europcar has excitingly embraced the IVECO product to deliver to the rental truck market, a clear and demonstrable point of difference
All the Daily vehicles available to rent from Europcar feature IVECO’s market-leading, 8-speed ‘Hi-Matic’ full automatic transmission matched to either an efficient 2.3-litre turbodiesel engine producing 126 hp and 320 Nm of torque (Daily Van) or a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine delivering 170 hp and 430 Nm (Daily Cab Chassis).
In terms of safety, both vehicles are well equipped boasting four SRS airbags, front and rear disc brakes with ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Electronic Stability Program, Anti-Skid Regulator, Hill Holder and more.
Colourful graphics on the body make for a great mobile billboard.
For additional safety and convenience, the vans are fitted with a factory bulkhead and window, as well as a Bluetooth-equipped radio with steering wheel-mounted controls and reversing buzzers.
“Another benefit for our clients is that the IVECO Daily range is good on fuel, and for Europcar, as a business, we get the longevity of a quality engine as well as long oil change intervals of 40,000 kilometres for reduced downtime,” Laura said.
Vehicle performance aside, Laura also cites the Daily’s clean and modern appearance as another reason why Europcar partners with the IVECO brand.
“The rental market is a competitive industry and one way Europcar sets itself apart is to have the most modern commercial fleet possible,” she said.
A Europcar staff member demonstrates the simple operation of the tailgate lifter.
“We typically refresh our commercial vehicle fleet every two to three years to provide our customers with the very latest in vehicles and technology.
“The Daily’s styling is at the forefront, and our customers like the way it looks –people want to drive a smart-looking van, even if only renting it for a short time.”
Rising to meet COVID-19 Challenges
Commercial vehicles with drivers, to help meet the increased demand for logistics and delivery services across the country, whilst also keeping the Europcar operation steaming employment. Discussions are already taking place with some of the country’s largest supermarket chains and food retailers. Every vehicle is now subject to rigorous cleaning and disinfecting measure safe reach rental, as well as a ‘zero contact’ policy with Europcar employees in branches.
Leading rental company, Europcar, recently took delivery of its 200th IVECO Daily.
Nicolle Portilla is RTS’s Social Media Manager, and has been a valued member of the team since July 2018. She is responsible for content creation on all platforms, leveraging creative software, industry trends and research, and social media strategy to build upon the company’s online presence. Additionally, Nicolle contributes to the RTS blog, which serves to educate clients and industry players about our technology and sustainability efforts, and is responsible for the creation and dissemination of our internal and external newsletters. Prior to taking on the role of Social Media Manager, Nicolle served on the Sustainability team for nearly three years, assisting clients in achieving their sustainability goals through external communications and event organizing. Preceding Nicolle’s time on the RTS team is her work with Clean Water Action, where she promoted clean water initiatives. Nicolle graduated from Stony Brook University in 2018 with a B.A. in Sustainability.
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