Ram to sell two Fiat vans

The Ram brand will get a commercial van based on the Fiat Ducato large paneled van, supplier sources said at the Frankfurt motor show.

Chrysler plans to build 30,000 a year in Mexico, the sources said. Chrysler already builds Ram heavy-duty pickups in Saltillo, Mexico.

The van will fill a hole in Chrysler Group's commercial vehicle business that was created when the company stopped selling the Dodge Sprinter vans, produced by Mercedes-Benz, after the DaimlerChrysler divorce in 2009.

Ram brand spokesman David Elshoff had no comment on the plans.

The Ducato-based van is likely to arrive in 2013. It will be the larger of two Fiat-based commercial vans in the Ram portfolio. On Sept. 9, Fiat and its Turkish joint venture, Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi, said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on a seven-year deal to supply the Ram brand with 190,000 units of a smaller van based on the Fiat Doblo.

The Doblo-based model will compete with the Ford Transit Connect, which also is made at a Turkish factory. Chrysler Group hopes the two vehicles will add to the appeal of the Ram brand among business customers.

While those two vehicles are still in the works, Ram has begun manufacturing another commercial van. The 2012 Ram Cargo Van is being built at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, assembly plant and will go on sale in a few weeks.

The Ram Cargo Van replaces the Dodge Grand Caravan C/V in Chrysler Group's lineup. The Ram Cargo Van is a windowless version of the Grand Caravan with a flat floor and heavy-duty suspension.

By Luca Ciferri and Bradford Wernle- Automotive News