First Drive: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Tradesman
01-22-15, 09:20 PM
#16
Lexus Test Driver
They were redesigned "quickly" because it was at the end of its lifecycle. The vehicle had been out in Europe for several years already.
There are tons of flower shops and restaurants that need vans... Yes, construction companies and utility workers may need more space and capability, but there is indeed a market for the smaller size vans. I think you need to look around more, I see the vans everywhere with plumbing companies, cleaning companies, in addition to your flowershops.
Sales for the Transit Connect grew every year since launch, to ~44,000 last year, with fairly minimal incentives, Chrysler/RAM sold just ~11,000 of the Caravan Cargo Van, with even more incentives piled on. The Econoline sold ~100,000 last year, with the Express ~79,000. So yes the market for the larger vans is bigger, but it doesn't mean there is no market for the smaller set. Give people the options and they'll choose what fits them best. It seems apparent that not everyone wants/needs a larger, RWD large van with excess capacity.
There are tons of flower shops and restaurants that need vans... Yes, construction companies and utility workers may need more space and capability, but there is indeed a market for the smaller size vans. I think you need to look around more, I see the vans everywhere with plumbing companies, cleaning companies, in addition to your flowershops.
Sales for the Transit Connect grew every year since launch, to ~44,000 last year, with fairly minimal incentives, Chrysler/RAM sold just ~11,000 of the Caravan Cargo Van, with even more incentives piled on. The Econoline sold ~100,000 last year, with the Express ~79,000. So yes the market for the larger vans is bigger, but it doesn't mean there is no market for the smaller set. Give people the options and they'll choose what fits them best. It seems apparent that not everyone wants/needs a larger, RWD large van with excess capacity.
Another point to bring up is safety. The few times I've seen these half-baked vans on the road, the tires and wheels were teeny tiny, and the body was towering. This is not a good recipe for handling. And America is already known for loading up trucks and vans beyond their recommended limits. It's a dangerous combination, especially if a tire is underinflated or worn. At least the discontinued vans had the wheels to support the mass.
01-23-15, 07:53 PM
#17
Lexus Champion
One has to wonder why those numbers are the way they are. Perhaps it's because customers had no choice. The full-size Econoline, Ram Wagon, and Chevy Express were all discontinued years ago. What else were they going to buy?
Another point to bring up is safety. The few times I've seen these half-baked vans on the road, the tires and wheels were teeny tiny, and the body was towering. This is not a good recipe for handling. And America is already known for loading up trucks and vans beyond their recommended limits. It's a dangerous combination, especially if a tire is underinflated or worn. At least the discontinued vans had the wheels to support the mass.
Another point to bring up is safety. The few times I've seen these half-baked vans on the road, the tires and wheels were teeny tiny, and the body was towering. This is not a good recipe for handling. And America is already known for loading up trucks and vans beyond their recommended limits. It's a dangerous combination, especially if a tire is underinflated or worn. At least the discontinued vans had the wheels to support the mass.
The Ram Wagon is gone, the Ford Econoline is going but the Chevy Express / GMC Savana is still available. The Ram was first replaced by the MB / Dodge Sprinter (when Chrysler was owned by Daimler) and now the Ram ProMaster (from Fiat). The Ford Econoline is being replaced by the Ford Transit but the Express / Savana soldier one as the only domestic North American full-size van that does not have a Euro replacement. There is also the Nissan NV full-size van available. Full-size vans are and will remain available in North America.
Here in Southern Ontario, Canada, the Transit Connect is tremendously popular, in the role they were designed for, as the "last-mile delivery" vehicle, carrying goods and appliance servicing from the urban depot to the final urban customer, where their small size is much easier to maneuver in the city streets and traffic than the huge Sprinter.
The largest user of the Transit Connect here must be Canada Post, which has seemingly replaced all of its Grumman LLV mail trucks, which were getting old, with no replacement in sight. As a widely-available commercial vehicle, the Transit Connect is probably much cheaper to acquire and service than the custom Grumman mail trucks.
More and more urban delivery and service trucks (both full-size vans and "commercial versions" of minivans) are being replaced by the Transit Connect. I expect to start seeing more of the new Transit Connect, as well as the compact Nissan NV200 and Ram ProMaster City as the small vans prove their value in the city.
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