Iveco Australia has marked a special milestone with the very last Euro 5 Acco leaving the Melbourne assembly line.
It signals the soon-to-arrive Euro 6 and the last unit built will be retained for posterity and future display.
Since its introduction in 1961, the Acco has become a long-time favourite of the Australian and New Zealand trucking industries and was used in a number of applications.
It was first developed as general service military 4×4 vehicle and was later adapted for civilian use with its simple design and tough performance.
The current shape Acco was introduced in 1972 and was further developed on that platform with the introduction of the Euro 5 2014 model year variants.
With increasing emission and safety requirements, the current model has reached its full development potential, the company says.
It has undergone over 4,300 specification changes over its lifetime.
The celebratory event was attended by Iveco Australia staff and key component suppliers to the Acco range over the years who received commemorative plaques.
Recipients included Alcoa Wheels, Cummins South Pacific, Dana Australia, Goodyear and Dunlop Tyres, Heavy Automatics, Hendrickson Asia Pacific, Hilton Manufacturing and Meritor HVS.
Addressing attendees were Iveco Australia and New Zealand managing director Bruce Healy, and Iveco brand ambassador Lloyd Reeman who has been involved with the Acco model since the 1970s.
The new generation Euro 6 Acco range is set to build on its predecessor with many new features.
Scheduled to begin production in the first quarter of 2020, the new Euro 6 will continue to be manufactured in Australia having been developed specifically for Australia and New Zealand markets, to ensure it is fit for task.
The new models have undergone an extensive local development programme, with several evaluation vehicles currently in year-long trials with key refuse customers, where they have performed very well according to feedback and performance benchmarking.
The new Euro 6 engines are cleaner and more fuel efficient while offering plenty of power coupled with the proven Allison full automatic transmissions.
On the safety front, vehicles will feature a raft of standard technology including adaptive cruise control, advanced emergency braking system, electronic braking system with brake assistance, electronic stability program and daytime running lamps.
Operators wanting even more safety can select from options such as hydraulic retarder, lane departure warning, driver attention support, tyre pressure monitoring and xenon headlamps.
