PM city and other small vans discontinued

[townline]

Is it true that the Promaster city is being discontinued? It is from what i see.
Apparently the Transit Connect ,Metris ,NV200 and the Chevy city Express are gone or going away.
I don't want a big promaster, I can change a wheel on the PM city and it fits in my garage.
These vans are popular in Europe. maybe they aren't marketed properly in the USA.
An electric wont do me any good either as i drive too far in one day and go to remote locations.
Ford did this with the Ranger thinking people would buy the F150. My relative still drives the old Ranger
with standard cab and 7' box and wont buy the new one because it is the size of the old F150 and costs too much.
I just don't want to drive or park anything as large as the big vans.
Ram should make some lifestyle commercials of people using these vans and show them off.

 

[afblangley]

I think the market for tiny cargo vans in the US is too small to be viable. Most vans are bought by businesses. Tiny vans have much less utility because they accommodate much less cargo. While they get better gas mileage than larger vans, fuel prices are not as big of a pain point in the US as it is in other countries. If you're set on tiny, passenger minivans are still being made, although that market is increasingly smaller also. There's a plethora of minivan conversions on YT.

Have you considered the shorty Promaster? It doesn't sell in large numbers (again smaller = less utility) so you may not haven't seen/noticed them. The biggest factor that makes vans unwieldy is wheelbase. Maneuverability and parking are a direct function of this. At 118", the shorty Promaster has the same wheelbase as the Jeep Wrangler. Little known fact: the shorty Promaster has a shorter wheelbase than the PM City and a correspondingly shorter turning radius. The PM City is not as tall or as wide as the shorty. While these don't significantly effect drivability, the former can be a hassle, even as a low roof it requires 8' clearance, limiting garage usage. The extra width is mostly an asset, allowing much greater flexibility in layout.

The smaller the vehicle, the more challenging it is to live out of. The larger the vehicle, the more challenging it is to go places. Finding the right balance can be difficult to get right, especially without experience. After 3+ years and 2 vehicles, I'm still not sure I've nailed it.

If you're coming from a history of driving small cars, don't fret it. You will likely get comfortable driving a van more quickly and easily than you imagine.

 

[eDJ_]

I think the Vehicle producers see the Nomads as "Po' Folks" who are more likely to buy pre-owned and just adapt themselves to whatever they can find. Of course, if you were ever to be around any of the auto makers executives and witness the standards of living they have you would understand.

Customers tax advantages are one of the parameters board room execs, engineers, and designers are faced with regarding product development.

Beyond that, the commercial vehicles (which so many Nomads obtain as pre owned) that they produce are viewed as "capital equipment" that businesses will write off their books in five years. If the business is large enough to own a fleet, then they will sell the old fleet off to brokers after five years. (from there to small biz owners) Anything sold off earlier than that may have had problems.

 

[maki2]

Majority needs rule what car makers offer. They always quit making what is not selling.

 

[drysailor]

Maybe the thinking is that the bulk of the small van market is city users, and that market will become primarily EVs.

 

[Sofisintown]

I heard that Chevrolet will stop producing the Chevy Express . Last year will be 2025. From 2026 and on they will be making electric cargo vans. Good luck with that. I am in Arkansas, and there are no charging stations in 50 miles radius. I hope my van lasts a veeeery long time.