Iveco has revealed more details about its 50:50 partnership with Ford Trucks to jointly develop a new heavy-duty cab platform, in what Luca Sra, president of Iveco’s Truck Business Unit, describes as “a smart way to cooperate.”

Speaking at a press roundtable, Sra said the project will initially focus on the body-in-white and modular cab family, with both partners contributing design, investment and manufacturing resources. “They sell 25,000 trucks a year, we do more or less the same. Together that gives us scale - 50,000 units - which helps us accelerate technology and double our purchasing power,” he said.

Future collaboration could expand into other areas such as safety systems and electronic architecture, but for now both companies are focused on delivering the cab. “We have to go step-by-step,” he added. “But there is appetite to think bigger.”

Sra ruled out a true low-entry cab offering for now, but said it would likely be available with two steps. He confirmed the new range would be modular, including day, extended, and sleeper variants. He also acknowledged that improved aerodynamics and driver comfort were key priorities, with a 3–4% fuel efficiency gain expected.

On the wider transition to zero-emission vehicles, Sra stressed the need for “mental sanity and sustainability,” warning that infrastructure, energy cost and TCO parity are still lacking. “There’s no silver bullet,” he said. “We still see a role for internal combustion engines running on biofuels.”

Asked whether he regretted the now-dissolved partnership with Nikola, Sra was unequivocal: “Definitely not. It was a great accelerator in terms of technology, experience and skillsets. Many features in the S-eWay, like the e-axle, come from that collaboration.”

While some competitors “claim to be innovative” with low BEV volumes, he said: “We’re quietly getting on with it - across diesel, gas, electric and hydrogen.”