The 63rd edition of the
Hanover International Motor Show, the most important
commercial and industrial vehicle show in Europe, is due
to take place from 23 to 30 September. The event will
attract professional drivers and major sector
manufacturers to the German city. These will include
Fiat Group Automobiles with its Fiat Professional brand.
This has always played a prominent role in the sale of
light commercial vehicles on the German market as the
leading import brand.
Fiat Professional is
exhibiting 11 vehicles at the show. These represent the
widest LCV range currently present on the market
(including vans derived from cars, the Strada, the
Fiorino the new Doblò Cargo, the Scudo and the Ducato
Maxi) and also constitute the most eco-friendly range
(no fewer than 6 models are marketed with a methane fuel
system as original equipment). The vehicles are housed
on a stand that extends for more than 1000 square metres
and confirms Fiat Professional's commitment to
sustainable mobility. This commitment constitutes a
fundamental force for the brand, driving the creation
and ongoing improvement of its products. The line-up at
the German show therefore includes the 3 most
significant vehicles in the Natural Power range – the
Ducato, the Fiorino and the new dual fuel petrol/methane
Doblò – models that have contributed to the excellent
results so far achieved in this market (approximately
14,700 CNG vehicle registrations during the first half
of 2010).
Fiat Professional's
commitment, always targeted at the true needs of its
professional customers, has now achieved a step forward
in emission reduction with its new eco:Drive for
commercial vehicles. This device, the only one of its
kind, allows vehicle journey data to be analysed at work
in order to suggest more appropriate behaviour for an
economic and sustainable drive. Visitors to the Hanover
show will be able to see the world premiere of a special
version of the software developed specifically for
commercial vehicles: eco:Drive Professional. This
system, available from October on the Ducato and New
Doblò, is distinctive because it includes variables
typical of an LCV: from the load carried to the
different front area, if the vehicle has been converted.
The innovative eco:Drive Professional will be introduced
at the show by means of a simulator installed on board a
New Doblò short wheelbase panel van equipped with a 90
HP 1.3 Multijet Euro 5 engine. This vehicle is also
equipped with Start&Stop, a system that temporarily
turns off the engine and then restarts it again when the
engine idles with the vehicle at a standstill, allowing
an average fuel consumption reduction of up to 12% over
an urban cycle.
The star of the
exhibition area is the new Doblò Cargo, the model that
achieved a target of one million units produced,
including both the commercial vehicle versions and the
multi-space car. The new Doblò oozes innovation,
beginning with its chassis, which has made it possible
to develop the first vehicle in the small van segment
that is endowed with a load volume and payload typical
of higher segments despite its compact dimensions. It is
also thrifty on fuel and eco-friendly. These attributes
have allowed the new Doblò Cargo to take its place as
the first and only vehicle in its category to mark a
genuine departure from car-derived models. This vehicle
was developed from the design stage to be a commercial
vehicle with full credentials, not simply a small van
but a proper LCV that can be adapted to all working
missions and different types of outfit.
Visitors to the Hanover
show will be able to see the world premiere of the new
truck and refrigerated chamber versions, both built on a
long wheelbase drop frame with a 1.6 Multijet Euro 5
engine. Firstly, the New Doblò Autocarro, the first OEM
light truck in the sector, guarantees quality and
reliability for customers and a new chassis cab version
with floorpan and refrigerated chamber offering
temperatures down to -20°C for the transport of
perishable goods. The new Autocarro, with its compact
exterior dimensions, allows for easy use around town
even in cramped and difficult situations such as
alleyways and high kerbs but also offers very
respectable box measurements: 2.30 m in length,1.86 m in
width and 4 m2 of load surface. The vehicle offers a
payload of up to 1000 kg made possible by brand-new rear
bi-link suspension systems that ensure significant
maximum permitted loads on the axles: 1120 Kg at the
front and 1450 Kg at the rear.
Fiat Professional
therefore reinvents the small truck to offer a vehicle
with a one-off design that enters a segment never
previously explored by a major manufacturer. To ensure
load performance, sturdiness, lightness and lower fuel
consumption, a box has been adopted with a high-strength
steel frame, floor in slip-resistant plywood and light
aluminium alloy sides. A useful compartment has been
formed beneath the floor to stow work tools and
instruments in complete safety and shielded from
atmospheric agents. The box is equipped with a
ladder/bucket carrying structure, load retaining hooks
and a sturdy grille to protect the cab and rear window.
All these features make the Doblò Autocarro the ideal
vehicle for farming, building and town or green area
maintenance sectors. It is also perfect for carrying
fixtures and windows.
The refrigerated chamber
built by KRESS on the drop frame version of the
long-wheelbase New Doblò features a DUOFLEX sealing
system for outstanding waterproofing and easy door
operation. Panels in DUROLITE, an innovative material,
ensure a weight reduction of 25% compared to standard
conventional steel, plus very high stability and
resistance to impact. The customised vehicle offers a
payload of approximately 600 kg and volume of 6 m3.The German show will also
offer a chance to see the new Doblò Van (short
wheelbase, 1.6 Multijet Euro 5), created as part of a
joint venture between Fiat Professional, Vergnano coffee
and the body builder Mobitecno. With its distinctive
black livery bearing the logo of the famous Italian
coffee brand, the vehicle is a veritable mobile cafe,
equipped with a state-of-the-art high-tech coffee
machine that can be used to prepare hot drinks for
visitors to the stand. A roomy refrigerator for cool
drinks and a mobile power generator are also housed
inside the vehicle's large load compartment, together
with all the consumables required to prepare the drinks
(sugar, coffee and cups).
The spotlights at the
German show will also be on the Fiorino, a one-off
vehicle that was developed to meet the needs of
customers seeking a compact van with economical running
costs that is nimble in traffic and easy to handle when
parking. In addition to the Natural Power version
mentioned previously, the new model is also available in
the new Cargo Adventure version powered by a 95 HP 1.3
Multijet Euro 5 engine equipped with “Traction+”, an
innovative system that increases vehicle traction over
difficult ground with low grip.
Another leading player is
the Ducato, on show in two configurations: a
medium-wheelbase, high-top Panel Van (11.5 m3 of volume)
equipped with the 136 HP 3.0 Natural Power engine and a
medium-long wheelbase Chassis Cab with the
top-of-the-range engine: the 160 Multijet Power offering
157 HP and 400 Nm of torque that is outstanding for its
great driving satisfaction, extraordinary flexibility,
consistent responsiveness to power demands and ultra-low
noise levels.
Two of the vehicles on
show have also been converted by Sortimo – a New Doblò
and a Scudo, representing some of the innumerable Fiat
Professional vehicle conversion options: mobile
workshops, vehicles with boxes, insulated vehicles and
vehicles with a refrigerated chamber. This is a
continually growing sector: suffice to say that one out
of three commercial vehicles in Europe undergoes
conversion. In particular, the short wheelbase high-top
Doblò Panel Van is equipped with the powerful 1.6
Multijet (Euro 5) and is kitted out as a mobile
workshop. The second converted
vehicle is a Scudo fitted out by Sortimo Speedwave. This
is an exclusive Panorama version in a 6-seater in
Executive specification equipped with the brand-new 2.0
165 Multijet (Euro5) engine. The vehicle, equipped with
an innovative flexible VitaMo system by Sortimo allows
the interiors to be reconfigured easily with high
comfort and safety standards. Sliding seats that can
turn through 360° and folding, movable tables can create
a small lounge for 4 people, for example. The great
flexibility of the VitaMo system makes it possible to
quickly change the seat or equipment combinations as
required. The guides on the VitaMo floor facilitate the
removal of seats and tables, also making it possible to
carry bulky items, bicycles or other recreational or
trade equipment with ease by securing them to special
adaptors and retaining systems patented by Sortimo.
The Hanover Motor Show is
the right opportunity to discover future new products
and also the models that have completely revitalised the
Fiat Professional range: an array of products that have
always interpreted customers' needs by being updated in
line with user expectations. Apart from anything else,
herein lies the secret of the success achieved by Fiat
Professional over recent years, despite the current
difficult market conditions. From 2005 to 2009, our
share of the segment of commercial vehicles up to 3.5t
increased by approximately two and a half points in
Europe, rising from 10.4% to 12.8%, thus confirming our
status as the Brand showing most growth in this period.
The share achieved by Fiat Professional during the first
half of 2010 is even more significant: 13.7%, with a
0.4 point increase compared to the same period in 2009.
The result achieved in the small vans sector is even
more pronounced: an impressive 2.6 point increase in
market share at European level.
These results have allowed Fiat Professional to rise by
two places in the European ranking, taking a firm second
place in the LCV brand league table, despite the fact
that the New Doblò has not yet achieved its full sales
potential. In a market that is still unsure of itself,
the brand nevertheless continues to face new challenges
with a full professional approach that is borne out by
an exclusive network of 800 dealers, spaces and people
dedicated to the LCV and specific sales and service
standards (courtesy cars, dedicated ramps and specialist
technicians).
