Chrysler to bring rebranded Fiat Ducato, Doblo to commercial van sector
05 March 2011
Detroit News. Chrysler Group LLC plans to introduce the Fiat Ducato and Doblo under the Ram brand as MY2013 entrants in the commercial van sector, according to Fred Diaz, Ram president.
Diaz said he doesn’t know which of the two Fiat vans will be launched first. Chrysler is working on modifications necessary to meet North American consumer needs and regulatory requirements. The vehicles will be imported, but Chrysler will look at assembly here if demand grows enough to make a business case.
Diaz said no decision has been made on whether the names will change for sale under the Ram brand.
More than 95% of the commercial van segment is held by Ford and GM. When Chrysler was part of DaimlerChrysler, it sold the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van as a Dodge; the split left a gap in the Chrysler lineup.
While it would be easy to make some cosmetic changes on the Fiat vans to make them Dodge vans, is this really a potentially lucrative new market for Dodge to re-enter? Probably not.
Posted by: ejj | 05 March 2011 at 10:00 AM
Lucrative? Not likely. But...
1. The Sprinter was their most credible commercial vehicle by far, and Daimler is keeping it to themselves now. Two new vans, already designed and made by Fiat? I'd wanna stick it to Daimler too, for various reasons, if I were Chrysler.
2. This is a response to the demand for more efficient and nimble urban delivery vehicles. There is a reason Ford is bring two new smaller vans to replace their Econoline, GM is replacing their Savannah with a smaller European style van, Nissan is entering the US LCV market, Toyota too via Hino, the list goes on... light commercial vehicles are an enduring need that accomplish much of the vehicular work in urban centres, which are rapidly growing around the world, so it seems like a smart thing to make product for and a good core market that is growing, vs. debt-laden consumers...
Posted by: joookes | 06 March 2011 at 01:55 PM
The Sprinter was a great van but Fiat themselves have a history of making good looking and equally as practical vans. Fiats Commercial Vans are great for the environment and more efficient for city users. I think entering the US market will be tough for any European manufacturer but Fiat and Chrysler will do will with their current range.
Posted by: Chris Brown | 13 January 2012 at 05:02 AM