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NEWS RELEASE
MELBOURNE MOTOR SHOW: FIAT RETURNS
Fiat, one of the world’s best know brands, will be back at the Melbourne International Motor Show (27 February – 8 March 2004) for the first time in more than a decade when it displays its award-winning range of Fiat Ducato vehicles in the new commercial vehicle section of the show.
Since its launch in Australia in 2002, the Fiat Ducato has proven to be as popular in Australia as it is in Europe, with the Ducato providing Australian companies with a highly capable, well equipped and keenly priced full size van and low roof van, plus cab chassis vehicles for conversions. With three Australian companies now building motor home conversions on both the cab chassis and in the Ducato Maxivan, the Ducato has also been warmly welcomed by the Australian recreational industries.
“The Fiat Ducato has already built a solid reputation in Australia since its launch,” says Newton Head, Group Operations Manager for Fiat in Australia. “It is providing a durable and reliable service to a growing range and number of companies and user groups in Australia.”
TheFiat Ducato range for Australia consists of six versions. There are two vans, blindand glazed, both with a 12 cubic metre internal volume and with an 1500 kg payload. These two vehicles cost $44,000 and $45,250 respectively. For customers operating in height restricted areas, the new Fiat Ducato is now available with the lower roof height of 2150 mm at $43,250 and a 1490 kg payload. The Fiat Ducato Cab Chassis is now available with two wheelbases, 3.7 metres and 4.05 metres. These versions are available to special customer order at $40,000 and $40,940 recommended retail prices respectively. All versions have the 2.8 litre JTD common rail direct injection diesel engine.
The Australian Fiat Ducato range consists of:
Version / Payloadkg / Volume
metres³ / Load area
l/w/h (mm) / Recommended Retail Price
Ducato low roof van / 1490 / 8.0 / 2860/1808/1562 / $43,250.00
Ducato Maxi Van / 1500 / 12.0 / 3360/1808/1881 / $44,000.00
Ducato Maxi Van, glazed / 1500 / 12.0 / 3360/1808/1881 / $45,250.00
Ducato Cab Chassis, SWB / 1740 / ~ / ~ / $40,000.00
Ducato Cab Chassis, LWB / 2050 / ~ / ~ / $40,940.00
The Ducato is instantly recognizable thanks to its prominent nose treatment that boasts the style of a new grille and a prominent new Fiat badge and the practicality of large, powerful headlights behind a durable plastic single lens that are up to 70 per cent brighter than convetional headlights, as well as large, protetctive bumpers. Impact protection is no longer restricted to the front and rear, the same material that provides protection from minor impacts running the full length of the sides, while at the rear, large, bright rear lights complete the external styling.
The quality and comfort of the Ducato’s interior is startling, especially to anyone who thinks commercial vehicles are basic vehicles that treat their users little better than the cargo being carried in the back.
Climbing into the front seat the driver finds himself in a comfortable armrest-equipped chair that can be adjusted in all the required directions to ensure thousands of kilometers of comfort behind the steering wheel, which is now rake adjustable, further improving comfort.
But the most striking feature is the dashboard. While it is designed with the specific needs of a commercial vehicle driver, as evidenced by the clipboard on the middle of the dashboard above the centre console and a multitude of storage spaces, it has also been designed with the intelligent style expected of Fiat.
For example, the standard digital stereo CD player is mounted high in the dashboard for ease of use. Ventilation vents abound with four fitted for each side of the cab, controlled by new easy to use ventilation controls in the centre console. The dashboard also includes such use features as a 12 volt power socket in addition to the cigarette lighter and control gear for the standard heated rear windows and the height adjustable headlights.
Completing the interior are door trims that include a huge storage pockets and a large bottle holder, as well as controls for the standard electric door mirrors and the electric windows.Another example of the Ducato’s attention to detail are the padded door linings – something not normally expected in a commercial vehicle.
On the road, the Fiat Ducato has always excelled with power units that are benchmarks in their class for performance and economy, lead by the outstanding direct injection common rail turbo intercooled 2.8 litre 94 kW engine. This engine is, in the Ducato, more refined, smoother and more responsive than its rivals. The JTD engine has taken Fiat’s pioneering direct injection common rail diesel technology and tailored it to the specific requirements of commercial vehicles.
The load compartment is as it has always been in the Ducato, a benchmark for a ratio of interior space to road space taken up. But in the new Ducato it is even more accessible, with new doors that are easier to use and new steps to help speed and ease access.
“The Fiat Ducato range is equipped with features and technology that can put many cars to shame,” says Newton Head. “Yet, at the same time it continues to offer the same value for money pricing that has made it a worldwide success. It is a fine demonstration that when it comes to commercial vehicles, Fiat really means business in Australia.”
The Fiat Ducato: The Story of Success so far
The Fiat Ducato story is the story of a vehicle that has enjoyed uninterrupted success since its launch in 1981. The Ducato's impressive range offers hundreds of versions and specifications, a dedication to meeting business needs in design and durability and value for money pricing allied to low running costs has allowed it to carve out and hold onto a position at the top of its segment in markets around the world. Suffice it to say that more than 1.2 million units have been sold overall.And this is success that continues to grow. The Sevel factory in Italy that produces the Ducato is working at full capacity to satisfy a growing need for the model, whose sale volumes increased by nearly 50 per cent in the period between 2000 and 2003.
STYLE AND PRACTICALITY
A workhorse must be first and foremost an excellent container for stowing and transferring goods or carrying people. But this does not mean that it must only be a box on wheels. Efficient transport is more than just space and payload. Drivers must be made comfortable to reduce the stress of modern driving conditions, they must be made safe, as they are a valuable investment in human resources and appearance is also important.The Ducato is also a moving advertisement for the company whose products or people it is moving and, therefore, provides a positive image of a company to the outside world.
For this reason, the new Ducato features a carefully balanced interplay of appearance and function. The revised exterior line creates an image of a stronger, more solid vehicle. The interior has been fully redesigned to offer room for everything and everyone and ensure maximum passenger room, user-friendliness and comfort.
The extremely practical and harmonious driver's cabin is equipped with a new facia that makes the cabin feel bigger. A host of storage compartments are scattered everywhere: on the facia and also in the cabin door panels, under the seats and in the load compartment. A convenient desk with clipboard is built into the facia. When the middle part of the optional two-seater bench is folded down, a practical table appears that is designed to house a portable computer and is complemented by two can holders and a document clip.
The load compartment still leads its category due to its great capacity and volume and incorporates significant changes, particularly to improve the manoeuvrability of the generous 270 degree doors during opening and closure, not to mention some important details such as an access footboard built into the bumpers with a broader, non-slip surface; practical load retaining hooks cleverly arranged over the floor; supplementary 12 V power point; generous air vents in the tail-lights to reduce air resistance during door closure and also prevent condensation forming in the load compartment.
COMFORT AND HANDLING
The new Fiat Ducato offers all-round comfort without compromises. From a dynamic viewpoint, the model's already excellent handling has been further improved through the addition of features to strengthen and refine the MacPherson independent front suspension and live axle rear suspension with leaf springs. The solution adopted for goods transport versions ensures outstanding efficiency whether the vehicle is fully laden or empty.
New tyres also contribute to driving comfort, handling and safety. A lot of work has also been done on acoustic comfort with the aim of minimising noise transmitted by the engine and road and limiting vibration, wind noise and aerodynamic whistling.The climate control system has now been made even more efficient by the excellent cabin air distribution. The new seats are also more comfortable and offer more adjustment options. They can also accommodate drivers of any size in comfort. The height-adjustable steering wheel also enables all drivers to find their ideal driving position.
THE FIAT DUCATO ENGINE
Fiat’s 2.8 litre 94 kW direct injection common rail turbo intercooled diesel injection, is a power unit so loaded with technology and design features that to find similar technology you’d have to look under the bonnet of an Alfa Romeo! But this is not to say that this is an engine designed for screaming performance. Just as the Alfa Romeo JTD engines have been designed and developed for their performance environment, so the 2.8 litre JTD unit in the Ducato has been developed to provide the ideal performance for commercial vehicle use: 300 Nm of torque, down where it is needed, at just 1800 rpm. This level of thermalefficiency from the JTD engine means the ideal combination of powerful performance, excellent economy and low emissions.
DUCATOSAFETY
All versions of the new Ducato now boast ABS-equipped disc brakes on all four wheels combined with a drum parking brake inside the disc brakes (Drum in Hat configuration).All seats are fitted as standard with generous head-restraints and two or three-point, height-adjustable seat-belts withpyrotechnic inertia reels according to the version and twin front air bags are standard.
The Ducato has more than just ABS brakes to stop skids. These latest generation ABS brakes are fitted with EBD, or electronic brake-force distribution. This sophisticated system automatically and instantaneously spreads braking ability to the wheels most able to stop the Ducato in an emergency, taking brake-force away from wheels that are about to lock and cause a skid and giving to the wheels with the most grip, thus maintaining control, stability and safety.
DUCATO QUALITY AND RELIABILITY
The new Fiat Ducato is a byword for quality and reliability. The outstanding results achieved through the on-going process of improvements to the previous series have served only as a starting point for achieving even higher standards. Many of these changes are now obvious, but go towards producing a for more effective transport solution, for example Fiat has completely redesigned the electrical system, added new suspension units and made structural changes to the chassis to improve acoustic impedance and brake fade resistance. We have also achieved even more by calling in truck-derived systems suppliers who now complement our tried and tested working arrangement with the major heavy diesel manufacturer Sofim.
The Ducato has achieved record-breaking goals in terms of reliability. Suffice to say that engine durability standards now equal those of a truck. Fiat’s design specifications are some of the strictest in existence. The world-wide experience gained by the model during previous years has allowed Fiatto make the new Ducato into a vehicle that is truly ready for any mission, however demanding, in any climate.New Ducato customers also naturally benefit from the Fiat warranty that is three years/180,000 km coupled to 24 hour road side assistance.
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For further information:
Newton Head / Edward RoweGroup Operations Manager / Public Relations Manager
Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd / Ateco Automotive
Ph: (02) 9558 7111 / Ph: (02) 9558 7111
Mob: 0419 722 888 / Mob: 0407 913 244
Fax: (02) 9558 7722 / Fax: (02) 9558 7722
E-mail: / E-mail:
EJR/ejr/001
10/11/2001