Iveco springs surprise with its turbo diesel
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THE SNOW came late to Geneva this winter and I was surprised to find that it caught the Swiss unprepared. Morning rush-hour traffic came almost completely to a stop, the airport closed and the outside exhibition at the Geneva Show suffered from a white out.
Inside the modern exhibition building, with its five halls set at various levels, there was plenty on show with many of Europe's major manufacturers in attendance.
Notably absent from England was Bedford, and Leyland was only present through LandRover.
The Swiss market is relatively small, less than 30,000 commercial vehicle units in total. At the heavy end, Mercedes Benz is strongest, claiming around 50 per cent while at the lighter end of the weight range Japanese vehicles dominate the scene.
Because the country has narrow, twisting mountainous roads the Swiss alone in Europe regulate for a narrow 2.3m vehicle width. This can involve quite major changes in design on some models. The Swiss also have a domestic weight limit of 28 tonnes on four axles. International hauliers may operate at 38 tonnes but are restricted by an internal mileage limit which effectively prevents through-traffic.
In line with the rest of Europe sales of commercial vehicles in Switzerland have declined over recent years, but are now showing signs of revival. The country's own industry appears to be prospering with a large proportion of production exported.
While the majority of vehicles at this year's show have been seen elsewhere, Geneva produced some innovations — particularly Iveco's lightweight directinjection turbocharged diesel engine — as well as detailed changes to existing models.