Fiat
has confirmed its proposed plans to sell the Doblò in
North America from 2013, with a projected 190,000 units
set to shipped from the Tofaş
joint venture in Turkey, where the light commercial
vehicle is manufactured, over the seven year timeframe
of the agreement.
A statement issued in Turin read: "A letter of intent
has been signed between Fiat Group Automobiles SpA (FGA)
and its Turkish joint-venture partner Tofaş
for the supply of the Fiat Doblò vehicle to Chrysler
Group where it will be sold in the US and Canadian
markets under the Ram brand."
The Chrysler Group's Ram brand has been in serious need
of van additions to the commercial vehicle-focused range
ever since its rebadged and licenced Mercedes-Benz
Sprinter was pulled by the German carmaker last year.
Currently Ram's range comprises of just two utility
vehicles: its key-selling pick-up (153,453 sales in the
U.S. for the year-to-date) and its slowly fading Dakota
pickup (9,949 sales in the U.S. for the year-to-date).
The Fiat Group
Automobiles statement added that: "Exports of the Doblò,
recently voted International Van of the Year 2011,
will commence in early 2013. The 7-year supply agreement
calls for Tofaş
to export a total of 190,000 units of the successful
Doblò vehicle from its Bursa facility – Turkey’s largest
automobile production plant.
Listed on the
Istanbul Stock Exchange and established 43 years ago in
1968, Tofaş
is a 50-50 joint-venture between Fiat Group Automobiles
and Turkish domestic conglomerate, Koç Group. Tofaş has built both the
first- and second-generation Doblò vehicles,
significantly, it holds the intellectual property rights
to the latter version. Before the Ram application even
kicks in, this vehicle's production is already being
ramped up: as well as building the Doblò for Fiat
Professional, Tofaş has also signed a deal that will see
it assembling a lightly re-skinned version for GM's
European Vauxhall/Opel division from this autumn.
Featuring a new front clip, it will replace
Vauxhall/Opel's current Combo van.
Earlier this summer Tofaş
added a new "small truck" version to its Doblò range for
the first time with a unique design that aims to slot
into what is an unexplored segment for Fiat: called the
Doblò Work Up, the concept is a small truck with compact
external dimensions that allows for ease of use in a
crowded urban environment and especially in difficult,
narrow passages such as alleys and driveways.
The press
release issued in Turin to announce the Doblò/Ram
application also notes that the Turkish joint venture
company will be responsible for all the costs of
re-engineering the light van to meet Stateside
legislative requirements, saying: "Tofaş
will invest over US$160 million for the necessary US and
Canadian homologation and customer requirement
modifications."
