A very intetesting article that I somehow missed. Maybe some of you missed it as well:
http://www.automotiveworld.com/comment/no-obvious-role-for-iveco-in-n-american-fiatram-van-plan/
The author seems the think there is something to the selection of the Fiat Ducato over the Iveco Daily that goes beyong the actual vehicles. While I personally think the Ducato has a few advantages being FWD up to a certain size/GVW, the Daily would have been a better overall competitor the the upcoming 'large' Ford Transit family and the traditional GM and Nissan vans and commercial chassis vehicles. If in fact the Ducato was chosen because it is a Fiat as opposed to the Daily being an Iveco, it may lend a bit of credibility to the rumor that Fiat may ultimately sell Iveco to help finance the Chrysler aquisition. This also brings to mind Mr. Diaz's recent comments that there has been no decision to bring the Daily to the U.S. as of yet. He stated that the Ducato was chosen because it competed in the commercial vehicle class 2 market, which is indeed a larger market than class 3 and 4. However, I see a lot of overlap between the Ducato and the smaller versions of the Daily, and if the Daily had been chosen wouldn't that have given Ram the opportunity to compete in class 2 through 4 (like the Transit)? Kind of makes you wonder.
Rumors were rampant that Fiat was planning to bring Iveco to the U.S. as a competitor in the medium and heavy truck market, but that would certainly require some serious effort. While Fiat could brand the vehicles 'Ram' and capitalize on the Ram reputation and familiarity with U.S. truck buyers, they would essentially have to build a whole new dealership network. Very few existing Dodge dealers have the capacity to sell and service large commercial trucks. And if a sales and service network was set up, would the trucks themselves be competitive with Freightliner, International, and PACCAR?
Iveco's plight may ultimately be dependent on what sort of deal Fiat can negotiate with the UAW's VEBA over the remaining shares of Chrysler Fiat does not own. Maybe Fiat is being prudent in keeping Iveco separate from Chrysler Group in case Iveco does need to be sold off to finance the aquistion of Chrysler. Time will tell........
http://www.automotiveworld.com/comment/no-obvious-role-for-iveco-in-n-american-fiatram-van-plan/
The author seems the think there is something to the selection of the Fiat Ducato over the Iveco Daily that goes beyong the actual vehicles. While I personally think the Ducato has a few advantages being FWD up to a certain size/GVW, the Daily would have been a better overall competitor the the upcoming 'large' Ford Transit family and the traditional GM and Nissan vans and commercial chassis vehicles. If in fact the Ducato was chosen because it is a Fiat as opposed to the Daily being an Iveco, it may lend a bit of credibility to the rumor that Fiat may ultimately sell Iveco to help finance the Chrysler aquisition. This also brings to mind Mr. Diaz's recent comments that there has been no decision to bring the Daily to the U.S. as of yet. He stated that the Ducato was chosen because it competed in the commercial vehicle class 2 market, which is indeed a larger market than class 3 and 4. However, I see a lot of overlap between the Ducato and the smaller versions of the Daily, and if the Daily had been chosen wouldn't that have given Ram the opportunity to compete in class 2 through 4 (like the Transit)? Kind of makes you wonder.
Rumors were rampant that Fiat was planning to bring Iveco to the U.S. as a competitor in the medium and heavy truck market, but that would certainly require some serious effort. While Fiat could brand the vehicles 'Ram' and capitalize on the Ram reputation and familiarity with U.S. truck buyers, they would essentially have to build a whole new dealership network. Very few existing Dodge dealers have the capacity to sell and service large commercial trucks. And if a sales and service network was set up, would the trucks themselves be competitive with Freightliner, International, and PACCAR?
Iveco's plight may ultimately be dependent on what sort of deal Fiat can negotiate with the UAW's VEBA over the remaining shares of Chrysler Fiat does not own. Maybe Fiat is being prudent in keeping Iveco separate from Chrysler Group in case Iveco does need to be sold off to finance the aquistion of Chrysler. Time will tell........
