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Stralis is on automatic from now on says New
Page 19
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IVECO HAS MADE its new automatic gearbox standard on the Stralis range and operators who insist on a manual box will have to pay a £1,000 surcharge.
This reverses the established UK practice of offering auto boxes as optional extras costing up to£2.500 more.
The option of a ZF 16-speed manual box will be restricted to the UK: in all other markets the Stralis will only be available with an automatic box.
Technical staff at lveco UK say they carried out a lot of research on this issue and believe that the auto box will be very popular. "We are confident it's the way forward,a spokesman adds.
However, other manufacturers are sticking by their current policy of fitting manual boxes as standard with autos as a costly option.
"It's a brave move in a positive way," says Tony Pain, marketing manager for Daf. The Dutch manufacturer charges £2270 extra for its AS-Tronic system. Speccing an auto in a Mercedes heavy truck costs £1,686, reports M-B spokesman Ian Norwell. "[Iveco's move] is a gamble," he says. -Is the fleet market ready for this yet? At least it confronts the issue."
• For Stralis latest see page 60.