Fiat Professional opens orders for the New Ducato 2021
* Orders are now open for Fiat Professional's New Ducato, from all authorized dealerships in Italy.
* In 2020, the model was the leading commercial vehicle in Europe, courtesy of 40 years of constant innovation to support its clients.
* With such a base in mind, the Ducato has been refreshed so it can always stay one step ahead of the competition, combining its excellent characteristics of scope, volume, efficiency and flexibility with innovation based on Connectivity, Safety, Comfort, Efficiency and Style.
* The launch of the New Ducato completes the model line-up, added to recently by the E-Ducato, the first full-electric Ducato.
Orders are now open at all Fiat Professional showrooms for the New Ducato 2021, now in its 8th series. The flagship model of the Fiat Professional range, launched in 1981, wears its 40-year history with pride, having already pushed the boat out in 2020 to celebrate its status as the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe.
Already best-in-class for capabilities courtesy of the broadest "all-forward" range on the market - added to recently by the E-Ducato, the first full-electric Fiat Professional commercial vehicle, the New Ducato is aimed not only at confirming its leading position, but also at improvement to ensure it is always ready for every mission and to fulfill all its clients' cargo and mobility requirements. The same clients have always acknowledged the model's leadership in terms of efficiency, flexibility and constant upgrading, resulting in its status as the best-selling commercial vehicle in Europe after 40 years of continuous success.
With this goal in view, the New Ducato reaffirms its leadership and it always being "one step ahead" of the competition, by focusing on technology and connectivity, and even by refreshing the design and overall appearance of the interior. A new all-digital configuration of the internal instruments, courtesy of the Full Digital Cockpit that can immediately and clearly provide practical journey information and alerts - from the satnav to the driver assistance systems - offers a great deal of flexibility, down to the options for reconfiguration and interaction with the UConnect infotainment system. The vehicle can thus be adapted in the best way possible to the driver's requirements. On top of all this are the new UConnect interfaces with screens up to 10", a top-of-the-range full satellite navigation system including TomTom 3D maps and built-in wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. These latter systems provide access to the most commonly used vehicle controls in just one tap. The UConnect 7" - also with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto - and the UConnect 5" complete the offering. The refreshed interior design is embellished with a redesigned dashboard and steering wheel, along with a new gear lever, new door panels and automatic air conditioning controls.
With this fully refreshed electrical architecture, the New Ducato adds a great new offer of driver assistance and safety systems, aimed at improving the driving experience and at making the Ducato a safer environment for work or play. Indeed, the New Ducato is marketed as the first light commercial vehicle with level 2 autonomous driving, offering a full range of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) both on the road and when parking. These will be available from dealerships soon. From speed limitation to braking control for unexpected obstacles such as pedestrians and cyclists, from road sign recognition to driver attentiveness monitoring, all the way to Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop&Go function, Lane Keep Assist and Traffic Jam Assist, the last of which maintains active control over the vehicle's trajectory, taking into account traffic conditions. The combined use of the latter three ADAS enables the New Ducato to achieve level 2 autonomous driving, where the vehicle provides independent assistance while driving and during acceleration and braking. A unique result, never before achieved by a commercial vehicle.
The broad driver assistance and parking system specs are added to by the Digital Central Mirror, which digitally improves and shows the rear view to replace the relevant mirror, plus the ESC system with Cross-Wind Assist, Trailer Stability Control and Active Park Assist, the latter a semi-autonomous assistant for parallel and perpendicular parking maneuvers.
In addition, the expected upcoming boom and affirmation of e-commerce and home delivery will entail new requirements and demand in terms of driving comfort. The New Ducato provides a response to these with practical, smart solutions such as: Keyless Entry and Go - to lock and unlock the cabin and load compartment doors and start the engine without the key; electric parking brake to reduce clutter in the cabin and facilitate relocations; the Eat-and-Work passenger seat, which becomes a convenient space to work or for a snack when folded down; a compartment to charge mobile phones wirelessly; double USB-A and USB-C ports; a high-voltage 230-V power socket; larger and more spacious door panels; heated windshield with internal electrical resistance for quick defrost; self-leveling air suspension, to lower the load threshold, making loading and unloading easier.
The seats come with a more contemporary look, new padding and offer more space and comfort; the new electric power steering as standard throughout the range is more precise and manageable in all driving and load conditions; the smaller steering wheel with a reduced turning circle redefine the concept of comfort inside the new cabin of the Ducato, to the benefit of ergonomics and to reduce the stress of drivers and passengers with increasingly strenuous work commitments.
Also in terms of the engines, the New Ducato confirms its traditional experience in the world of light commercial vehicles by fully refreshing the engine range, developed to comply with Euro 6D-Final regulations, and by expanding the range on offer with Heavy-Duty type-approval. The new Multijet3 diesel engines, based on the new and exclusive H3 power architecture proprietary to Stellantis, are now in their third generation and build on their strengths, offering improvements in efficiency by reducing the weight (for the benefit of the load capacity) and by lowering consumption and CO2 emissions (by up to 7%, a best-in-class figure). Durability is also increased, as an essential characteristic of an engine dedicated to the heavy-duty usage typical of commercial vehicles and to comfort, courtesy of improved flexibility and lower noise than the previous generation of engines. The New Ducato will be available in four levels of output (120, 140, 160 and 180 hp) with a new and improved 6-speed manual transmission - offered in all 4 levels and the much-appreciated 9Speed automatic transmission, available in the 140-hp, 160-hp and 180-hp variants. Available in the three highest levels of output, the Heavy-Duty range with manual and automatic transmission completes the engines on offer, maintaining the same torque as the light-duty models, already best-in-class with 450 Nm of torque from the most powerful engine. "One mission, one engine", with a total of 13 different combinations in the line-up, to best adapt to all mission specifications.
Aesthetics also play as a part, so the designers at the Centro Stile have paid great attention to the redefinition of the New Ducato's lines and the ergonomics of its interior. To be more specific, the front now comes with a bold look, featuring the new, iconic Fiat badge in its center, to proudly emphasize the fact it forms part of the Italian brand, as a vehicle produced at the Atessa plant. Similarly, the grid, engine housing and skid plates have been redesigned to give an impression of stylistic uniformity in step with the times. However, the factor that immediately attracts the attention is the design of the high-performance new lights with full-LED technology. The lights are divided into three sections, with the lower one dedicated to the LED light guide, which develops the luminosity "signature" characteristic of the Ducato. The three central lights come with a decidedly sporty look and offer 30% more brightness than conventional halogen headlights. Finally, the upper section is dedicated to the direction indicators, the style of which has also been refreshed with an LED light guide with a slider switch, an effect much appreciated and used in cars and now available in a commercial vehicle. To complete the interventions in terms of style, the brand-new Lanzarote Grey has been introduced as a color at lunch, emphasizing the "adventurous" spirit of the New Ducato and specifically dedicated to clients from the recreational sector.
Plus, to offer customization to the max, a strategy of specs packs has been developed for the New Ducato 2021. These are available in three configurations: Easy, Business and Lounge, and are all wider ranging than ever before. These three configurations can be customized even further by adding other packs with ADAS systems, improved functionality and aesthetics such as in the Trekking pack, all of which are designed to make the New Ducato "fit for every mission" and tailor-made for client requirements.
Mopar connectivity for the New Ducato
Last but not least, the New Ducato represents the state of the art in terms of the options to put and maintain in constant contact the three main stakeholders in the automotive world: manufacturer, dealership and end client. This is a win-win approach beneficial to all, courtesy of the constant gathering of shared data to provide personalized offers, savings in running and insurance costs, an increase in retailer loyalty and so on and so forth. The gateway to this world is the Uconnect system that can be enhanced in many ways: Uconnect(tm) Services and the FIAT app will make it possible to manage and monitor your vehicle directly from your devices, wherever and whenever you like. Many services are available, such as remote assistance, smart navigation, remote control, fleet management and much more. These create a virtuous circle where all stakeholders can benefit from the advantages of work done in a spirit of constant contact and sharing via the main features on offer, for example My Assistant, to ensure safety and assistance while traveling, providing geolocated support in the event of an accident or breakdown. Every month, a report is also sent on the health of the New Ducato, with recommendations on how best to take care of the vehicle.
My Remote offers interaction with the vehicle, even when away from it, to lock and unlock the doors, check its location and set up alerts on speed, area and time slots. Plus, if you use a voice assistant, you can send directions straight to the car and receive information on vehicle status, all merely by giving a voice command.
My Car is the app to monitor the health of your Ducato at any time, including fuel level, tire pressure, odometer and receipt of direct notifications on maintenance or repairs.
Using My Navigation, you can reach any destination quickly and stress-free, with traffic, weather and speed camera information in real time. The Send&Go, Parking Search and Refueling Station features help you to optimize your time: for example, once you have searched for your destination in the app, it can be sent to the satnav with just one tap, then you can view refueling stations and parking lots along the way. The maps are always kept up to date over-the-air, without having to visit a workshop.
My Wi-Fi, with added Wi-Fi Hotspot, enables you to connect up to 8 devices and use the Amazon Alexa Voice Service in your vehicle. For alerts if theft is attempted and to receive assistance if your vehicle is stolen, the My Alert pack is available.
Last but not least, the My Fleet Manager tool can be used to simplify corporate fleet management with maximum efficiency and safety, courtesy of advanced tools to monitor, plan and analyze your vehicles.
The connectivity offered by the New Ducato also means vehicle telematic data and remote controls can be integrated with existing client solutions, to ensure maximum interoperability.
Turin, May 18th, 2021
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