FIAT DUCATO LAUNCHED IN NORTH AMERICA AS RAM PROMASTER

The FIAT Ducato has gone on sale in North America as the 2014 Ram ProMaster. Ram is Chrysler's commercial vehicle brand in North America and offers a broad range of trucks, pickups and light commercial vehicles. The addition of the FIAT Ducato-based Ram ProMaster to the range allows the brand to take on the full-size van segment with a number of class-leading features which ensure it will be every bit as successful in the U.S. and Canada as it has been in Europe over the past 30 years. Best-in-class fuel efficiency, cargo capacity, usability and total cost of ownership all combine to make the Ram ProMaster a compelling choice for businesses and fleets.

Uniquely for North America, the Ram ProMaster is available in two roof heights, three wheelbases and four body lengths and is offered both as a chassis cab and chassis cutaway from the factory. Its monocoque chassis architecture and front-wheel drive powertrain makes it significantly lighter than its ladder-frame chassis, rear-wheel drive competition which, in turn, boosts its payload capacity up to 5,145 lbs. (2,333 kg) and its maximum towing capacity up to 5,100 lbs. (2,313 kg). It also offers the lowest load floor and ceiling height in its class, with all three door openings enabling forklift pallet loading and unloading.

The Ram ProMaster powertrain line-up features the award-winning, 280hp, 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, and the 174hp 3.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel borrowed from the European Ducato, fitted with FIAT's five-speed Dualogic automated manual transmission as standard.

Externally, the Ram ProMaster differs from the FIAT Ducato only in terms of branding and legal requirements, while the interior has also largely been carried over from the European version, albeit adapted for U.S. customers.

Production of the 2014 Ram ProMaster has commenced at the Saltillo Van Assembly Plant in Saltillo, Mexico, and has just gone in sale in North America.