The 2015 Ram ProMaster City has been unveiled to help Chrysler grab a piece of a growing market shared by rivals Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Co.
“As businesses strive for lower costs, the demand for a smaller, more efficient van has increased and Ram Commercial is answering the bell with the all-new ProMaster City,” said Reid Bigland, president and CEO, Ram Truck brand. Bigland said the ProMaster has reached about 15 percent of the retail market and he expects to ramp up production.
The commercial van, being offered in both five-seat passenger and two-seat cargo versions, goes on sale in early 2015 to compete with Ford’s popular Transit Connect, Nissan’s NV200 and Chevrolet’s soon-to-be-released City Express.
Ram Truck is partnering with Fiat Professional to help produce the ProMaster City. The van is being built in Turkey at the same plant as the Fiat Doblo, which has sold more than 1.3 million.
A 2.4-liter Tigershark I-4 engine, which produces 178 horsepower, drives the van. It delivers that power through a nine-speed automatic transmission. The interior is nearly 52 inches tall, and each side is fitted with a sliding door.
Pricing was not announced, but it’s expected to be competitive with other vans in the segment. The 2014 Transit Connect and City Express both start at about $23,000; the 2014 NV200 starts at about $21,000.
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