Two European truck makers have signed a joint development agreement (JDA) to design and build a new cab for heavy-duty trucks, writes Peter Brown.
The JDA between Ford Trucks and Iveco will see both co-develop, manufacture and assemble the cabin in their own facilities, customising specific styling design concepts and selling the products under their respective brands, Ford Trucks and Iveco. The deal will see 343 million euros spent on the work.
The first cabs are expected to be ready for production by 2028.
Emrah Duman, vice president of Ford Trucks, said: “This Joint Development Agreement is a testament to our capability to design and develop cutting-edge solutions that not only meet but exceed the industry’s evolving standards.
“By joining forces with Iveco, we are enhancing our ability to deliver innovative, high-performance cabins that will set new benchmarks in safety, aerodynamics, and driver comfort, all while ensuring cost efficiency and regulatory compliance.”
Luca Sra, president of the truck business unit at Iveco Group, added: “By sharing engineering expertise and combining our strengths, we will create a product that sets new standards in safety, efficiency, quality and driver comfort.
“This agreement is a strategic move that will allow both IVECO and Ford Trucks to remain at the forefront of the market, well-prepared to comply with new regulations and deliver exceptional quality and value to our customers.”
It is not the first time the brand name Ford and Iveco have worked together.
The Ford Cargo was first manufactured from 1981, as the successor to the Ford Transcontinental.
The Ford Motor Company took Cargo to North America, and it became a mainstay in its US model line-up until the acquisition of Ford’s American Heavy Truck business by Daimler in 1997, with the Cargo cab being branded with Sterling and Freightliner badges.
Meanwhile, the Cargo cab was a mainstay of the Turkish transport scene in its guise as the Ford Otosan Cargo.
In 1977, Otosan signed a license agreement with Ford and the company’s name was changed to Ford Otosan, and two years later it opened a new factory was opened in İnönü, Eskişehir, where it started production of the Ford Cargo in 1983.
Ford sold its European truck operations to Iveco Group in 1986, and subsequent vehicles were badged Iveco Ford.
Eleven years later, Ford’s Langley plant in Slough closed, bringing British Iveco/Ford truck production to an end.
In 2003 Iveco bought the remaining 15.2% of the share capital held by Ford, ending a 17-year-old link between Iveco and Ford, which allowed it to drop the Ford trademark.
