Notwithstanding the fact that its new name sounds like a sex toy, Chrysler Group LLC's commercial subsidiary Ram Trucks has pulled the cover off the Ram Promaster in Chicago.
And yes, it's a Ducato, but with some differences. The design is largely unchanged however.
Autoblog and PickUpTrucks.com have coverage of the launch here and here, but perhaps most revealing are the comments from readers below the articles. There seems to be a lot of prejudice against anything that a) is diesel; b) has a manual transmission; c) has sliding instead of hinged doors; or d) is not American.
Bear in mind that while the North American pick-up truck market is fiercely competitive, and largely responsible for keeping Ram, GM and Ford financially fluid, the panel van market has seen barely any innovation since the 1970s. Although the 2014 Transit is on the way, the Ford E-Series has had only incremental improvements since the 1975 Econoline. It's currently only available with 4.6L or 5.4L V8s or a 6.8L V10, and only with an automatic. Likewise the Chevy Express have been around since 1996.
And yes, it's a Ducato, but with some differences. The design is largely unchanged however.
Autoblog and PickUpTrucks.com have coverage of the launch here and here, but perhaps most revealing are the comments from readers below the articles. There seems to be a lot of prejudice against anything that a) is diesel; b) has a manual transmission; c) has sliding instead of hinged doors; or d) is not American.
Bear in mind that while the North American pick-up truck market is fiercely competitive, and largely responsible for keeping Ram, GM and Ford financially fluid, the panel van market has seen barely any innovation since the 1970s. Although the 2014 Transit is on the way, the Ford E-Series has had only incremental improvements since the 1975 Econoline. It's currently only available with 4.6L or 5.4L V8s or a 6.8L V10, and only with an automatic. Likewise the Chevy Express have been around since 1996.