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CHELSEA, MI – Chrysler’s Ram brand could see adaptations of two fullsize vans from the Fiat truck family, Ward’s learns.
The auto maker’s product plan suggests two Ram vans will launch next year – one based on the small Class 1 Fiat Doblo and another based on either the front-wheel-drive Fiat Ducato or the Ducato’s brawnier, rear-wheel-drive cousin, the Iveco Daily.
But because the latter offers “different opportunities,” there could be room for more than one, says Bob Hegbloom, recently appointed director-Ram brand product marketing.
“Ducato? Daily? Both?” Hegbloom says, suggesting Chrysler’s vision of Ram is fluid in a fullsize van segment landscape where boxier, upright designs favored in Europe continue to gain traction in the U.S.
Refreshed this year, the Ducato boasts a maximum gross-vehicle-weight rating of 8,818 lbs. (4,000 kg), according to Fiat.
That would be good for fourth place in today’s expanding market behind the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter’s 24,317 lbs. (11,030 kg); the ’12 NV, Nissan’s first North American commercial van, at 9,900 lbs. (4,491 kg); and the 9,500-lb. (4,309-kg) maximum rating of longtime segment sales-leader, the Ford E-Series.
However, Hegbloom says the Ducato has the market’s sweet spot – Class 2 trucks with GVWR of 6,001-10,000 lbs. (2,722-4,536 kg) – well-covered.
“That’s where the big volume is,” he adds. “That’s the largest piece of the pie.”
Through May, Class 2 truck deliveries – including pickups – totaled 637,050, 13.1% ahead of like-2010, according to Ward’s data. General Motors was the volume leader with 47.5% of the segment, followed by Ford with 39.5%.
Chrysler was well back in third with 11%, with Nissan and Daimler, represented by the Sprinter, each clinging to less than 1.3% of the market.
Hegbloom also defends the Ducato because none of its prospective competitors in the U.S. benefit from the compact packaging afforded by a FWD layout.
“So you have the lower load floor,” Hegbloom says. “Getting in and out of it is easier; loading material is much easier.”
Then there is cost of ownership. “Let’s say your driver hits something,” he adds. “The (Ducato’s) whole front fascia comes off with a few bolts.”
And the van is launching this year in overseas markets with two new engines, including a 177-hp 3.0L I-4 turbodiesel that promises, according to Hegbloom, a fuel-economy rating north of 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km).
Currently, the Sprinter is the only U.S.-market van equipped with a diesel engine – a 188-hp 3.0L V-6 with Mercedes’ trademark BlueTec clean-diesel technology. Though not subject to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ratings, its combined city/highway fuel-economy is in the range of 20 mpg (11.6 L/100 km), according to Mercedes insiders.
