[patfromigh]

I found this on youtube. I wonder how and when Iveco will fit in to all this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uuoC5WeAEY

 

[MoparNorm]

That's cool, but it would be cooler if someone was using that chassis to build motorhomes.
Iveco would be one rough riding bus, leaf springs!
The Dodge Ram has coil-link front springs and rear air springs.

 

[neongary]

Oh man, do we need some of these. Where I work we have a fleet of Chevrolet 4500/ARBOC Spirit LP buses and they have to be the roughest riding vehicle on the road. Rather unreliable too, I might add.

 

[patfromigh]

After Fiat Industrial was reorganized. Iveco Irisbus (which was half French owned) became Iveco Bus. The company provides everything from a Daily passenger van for para-transit operations on up to sixty foot long articulated transit busses. The Daily has an air suspension option. The full size transit coaches probably use air ride since it has been an industry standard in the developed world since the 1970's.

There are some Irisbus products running in Las Vegas. The transit company there doesn't take much (if any) federal money and doesn't have to buy American.

I forgot to mention, the Ram Promaster is being supplied to companies outfitting them for para-transit service.

 

[suzq044]

^ much better look at it.

 

[MoparNorm]

^ much better look at it.

A 4x4 Motorhome version of that truck would dominate the market.

 

[patfromigh]

I followed the link in the photo and found this.

According to Hines, Chrysler and Ameritrans met back in March to discuss how the two companies could work together. Although there are other manufacturers in the market, “Chrysler’s goal was to choose a high quality builder that would provide the guidance and the proper background testing necessary to help them enter the market. The team here at Ameritrans offers just that with a combined bus and vehicle experience of over 60 years.”

 

[ChryslerFiatfan]

I followed the link in the photo and found this.

There are still people who question the idea of divorcing the truck business from the Dodge car business. Ram truck management could then devote itself to making Ram pickups the best in the business; with the corporate budget to do it. And pursue making competitive and leading Vans out of the pretty good Fiat Ducatos. Ram has uprated the suspension and power trains to be the equal of any. Would Rams ahve diesel half tons otherwise? Or 8 speed Pentastars with leading mpg?

Now Ram is working with a Bus company. All that would NEVER have happened as a portion of a car division.

 

[MoparNorm]

There are still people who question the idea of divorcing the truck business from the Dodge car business. Ram truck management could then devote itself to making Ram pickups the best in the business; with the corporate budget to do it. And pursue making competitive and leading Vans out of the pretty good Fiat Ducatos. Ram has uprated the suspension and power trains to be the equal of any. Would Rams ahve diesel half tons otherwise? Or 8 speed Pentastars with leading mpg?

Now Ram is working with a Bus company. All that would NEVER have happened as a portion of a car division.

Actually it would and DID happen, pre-Daimler, with Dodge Truck. Dodge built everything from Milk trucks to Class 8 big rigs and everything in between.
The root of the problem was when Daimler rolled Dodge Truck into Dodge cars and killed JTE.

 

[valiant67]

There are still people who question the idea of divorcing the truck business from the Dodge car business. Ram truck management could then devote itself to making Ram pickups the best in the business; with the corporate budget to do it. And pursue making competitive and leading Vans out of the pretty good Fiat Ducatos. Ram has uprated the suspension and power trains to be the equal of any. Would Rams ahve diesel half tons otherwise? Or 8 speed Pentastars with leading mpg?

Now Ram is working with a Bus company. All that would NEVER have happened as a portion of a car division.

Yes, because it certainly hasn't worked for Ford or Chevy. The problems could have been fixed without the split but the past is the past. They likely won't go back to Dodge trucks.

 

[55Plaza]

Unfortuneatley their website http://www.ameritransbus.com hasn't been updated, and their product is F**d based.

 

[ChryslerFiatfan]

Actually it would and DID happen, pre-Daimler, with Dodge Truck. Dodge built everything from Milk trucks to Class 8 big rigs and everything in between.
The root of the problem was when Daimler rolled Dodge Truck into Dodge carsd killed JTE.

I'm glad you agree. Whether you call it Dodge Truck or Ram is immaterial. Dodge Truck managment was elevated in the corporation and could better fight for truck needs then. and Ram management can do so now; and get a better shot at the corporate R&D budget..

 

[MoparNorm]

I'm glad you agree. Whether you call it Dodge Truck or Ram is immaterial.

I don't agree that the name is immaterial, I agree that Dodge Truck needs autonomy.
The name is 100 years old and while thousands still buy Rams, they are pissed at Fiat for changing the heritage name.
As an example, look at how Chrysler was gushing about the name Dart and how much equity it still had and how much they saved in advertising because they did not need to spend millions to reintroduce the nameplate.
They can't have it both ways.

 

[Longtimejeep]

I don't agree that the name is immaterial, I agree that Dodge Truck needs autonomy.
The name is 100 years old and while thousands still buy Rams, they are pissed at Fiat for changing the heritage name.
As an example, look at how Chrysler was gushing about the name Dart and how much equity it still had and how much they saved in advertising because they did not need to spend millions to reintroduce the nameplate.
They can't have it both ways.

Sergio? Or Marchionne?? Hard to keep track of his personalities.

 

[MoparNorm]

Sergio? Or Marchionne?? Hard to keep track of his personalities.

:lol:
I almost went there in that post...