Fiat Professional was one of the leading names at last week’s TranspotecLogitec event in Verona, Italy, with a line-up entirely dedicated to light commercial vehicle transport.
With a stand of 1000 m2, at Veronafiere, Fiat Professional exhibited fourteen vehicles representing its wide, well-structured range, which covers every working task, thanks also to their broad versatility. The extensive display stretched from car-derived vans to large vans, with all body types, load capacities and volumes, not to mention a complete choice of wheelbases, widths and height variants, in addition to high-efficiency engines and various fuels options (petrol, diesel, LPG and natural gas). There was also a wide range of vehicles specially fitted to meet all the customer’s needs, such as: passenger minibuses, courier vans, refrigerated vehicles, food trucks, ambulances, mobile workshops, light car transporters and light utility trucks, for the most widely varying mobility requirements. Specifically, visitors were able to admire the Ducato Minibus Natural Power and the Talento Combi. The Talento panel van on show was a refrigerated version. Its Doblòfeatured solutions to make entering and exiting the vehicle easier for wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments, with the greatest comfort and safety.
Ducato, Fiat Professional’s best seller and undisputed European market leader, was offered in a wide number of variants: from the courier van to construction site vehicles with three-way tipping body – displayed next to the flatbed Doblò– to the light car transporter for roadside rescue and the food truck, through to the ambulance. Also featured on the stand is the versatile MEC (Mopar Express Care), the vehicle on a Fiat Ducato base equipped as a mobile workshop, with reception, diagnosis and operating areas. The unique “back-to-back” show vehicle which combines a Ducato cab and chassis cowl, is designed and supplied as the basis for the many motorhome fitments in which Ducato is market leader.
The Fiat Professional range is completed by the Fiorino, an evolution of the Fiat Professional model that invented the small van segment.FCA, the parent company of Fiat Professional, has been European leader for over 20 years in the provision of petrol/natural gas dual fuel vehicles with over 720,000 cars and commercial vehicles registered. Two CNG vehicles were on display at the Verona show. The first was the Ducato Minibus equipped with the low environmental impact 3.0 Natural Power engine running on natural gas, which delivers power of 140 hp and peak torque of 350Nm: with a range of about 400km, it is a useful alternative to the conventional diesel engine with totally comparable power and payload characteristics.
The Fiat Professional stand also displayed a Doblò Cargo Natural Power equipped with natural gas-petrol dual fuel 1.4-litre 16V T-JET Natural Power engine which produces a maximum power of 120 hp (both when running on petrol and on methane) and progressive torque values (206 Nm at 3000 rpm). As the natural gas cylinders are installed underneath the floor, the total capacity is 95 litres, equal to about 16 kg of natural gas, for the short wheelbase versions equipped with 4 cylinders (the long wheelbase Cargo versions have 5 cylinders which contain 130 litres/ 22 kg of natural gas), supplemented by the 22 litre capacity of the petrol tank. The vehicle on display also featured a whole series of equipment suitable for various business needs, such as a modular shelving system which can be installed on both sides of the vehicle, with storage compartments, shelves and drawers. What’s more, compared to the diesel version the volume is exactly the same: up to 4.6 m3 with a class leading payload of up to 980 kg.
To provide users with clear, well informed contacts throughout the event, more than 200 specialist Fiat Professional sales consultants were present on the stand.
