Iveco's new commercial vehicle (CV) plant in Algeria, planned in partnership with the Algerian group Ival, will start operations by late 2016, according to a report by the Algeria Press Service. Ival Group CEO Mohamed Bairi announced that the planned facility was located in Bouira province. He said, "The study of the plant for manufacturing Iveco brand commercial vehicles in Algeria has been completed and the negotiations on the plant creation progressed. In mid-October, the partnership agreement on the establishment of the joint venture will be signed." He added that the file on the new plant would be submitted to the National Agency for Investment Development (ANDI) in early October. In addition to assembly operations, the new plant will "also include a spare part manufacturing unit, in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of the Industry and Mines," the CEO said.
Significance: According to Bairi, the plant will have an initial assembly capacity of 1,000-1,500 vehicles per year. Most likely, the first model to be manufactured at the Bouira plant will be the Iveco Daily van. The Daily is currently produced at six plants globally – La Victoria (Venezuela), Nanjing (China), Sete Lagoas (Brazil), Suzzara (Italy), Tehran (Iran), and Valladolid (Spain) – according to IHS Automotive data. Total production of the Daily reached 114,385 units in 2014, and is forecast to come in at 114,453 units in 2016. In May, Iveco launched its brand in Malaysia and will operate in that country through local firm F.A. Trucks Sendirian Berhad, which will be its exclusive distributor and importer.
