RAM made a video about Promaster vandwelling

[frater secessus]

I think it's effective.  Pretty people (of course), but they do mention some of the challenges (and tiny victories) of vandwelling.



I wondered how long it would take a manufacturer to market to folks like us.  Or at least the younger among us.    It's not their grandfather's RV, or their hippie van either.

 

[tx2sturgis]

That is cool....yeah no fat 60 year olds, but still...

I like the line near the end:

"The new American Dream is a parking spot"

I may have to steal that one.

 

[wmyers4u]

did he say that over half the promasters made are not on the road today?

 

[JohnnyM]

Great video ! Many thanks, Frater. It's amazing that Ram produced this as a commercial -- this stuff seems so obvious and normal to us, but I guess it never occurred to me that the truck manufacturers might be on to it as well. So, all good.

I've been wanting one of these for a while now. Being front-wheel-drive means that you have a completely flat floor. In the Promaster I looked at the floor at the point of rear entry was I think just 23" off the ground and it was flat and level and 6'x10' and you just walked into the cab area and sat down when you were ready to leave.


Want want want.

Johnny

 

[Technomad]

did he say that over half the promasters made are not on the road today?

What? Got a source for that? It’s an extremely popular vehicle in Europe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chris Hayden]

Love it!

 

[frater secessus]

did he say that over half the promasters made are not on the road today?

No. 

There is nothing remotely like that in the video (or in actuality).

 

[wmyers4u]

clarification ....youtube auto played into this video and I missed the switch.



in this video at 30 seconds it says 4.5 million built on this platform and 2 million still on the road. That's well above half retired. I'm no expert on the subject but that stuck in my head as being a lot. That's why I commented. I just pictured a vehicle being like a Ford E van......continuously repurposed through its life.

again, I'm no expert.

 

[frater secessus]

That's well above half retired

Over the last 37 years.

He refers to the donor  platform, which has been made since 1981.  So of the 4.5 million made since 1981, 2 million are still on the road.
I do not know how that percentage compares to other vans.

The quote is at about the 30 second mark:

Hailing from a proven platform with over 4.5 million sold, and 2 million still on the road today worldwide.

The ProMaster that "hails" from that platform has been made and sold since 2014.

 

[wmyers4u]

Over the last 37 years.

He refers to the donor  platform, which has been made since 1981.  So of the 4.5 million made since 1981, 2 million are still on the road.
I do not know how that percentage compares to other vans.

The quote is at about the 30 second mark:




The ProMaster that "hails" from that platform has been made and sold since 2014.

That's a little more comforting to hear.  Being a layman I never would have guessed that this "new" vehicle would be built on a 37 year old platform.  My mind went straight to wondering why such a new vehicle has that many out of service. The timelines seem a bit muddled.

 

[tx2sturgis]

  So of the 4.5 million made since 1981, 2 million are still on the road. 

The other 2.5 million made it home.

 

[wmyers4u]

The other 2.5 million made it home.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Hey since we're tossing out some good commercials, I recently ran across this one...where Nissan gives well-deserved credit to the big three truck makers that have gone before them, and paved the way.

I bought a new Nissan Titan XD a couple months ago:

 

[wmyers4u]

Hey since we're tossing out some good commercials, I recently ran across this one...where Nissan gives well-deserved credit to the big three truck makers that have gone before them, and paved the way.

I bought a new Nissan Titan XD a couple months ago:

thats a pretty good one

 

[frater secessus]

Being a layman I never would have guessed that this "new" vehicle would be built on a 37 year old platform.

It's not.  Although I am starting to suspect the thread is being trolled I will try one more time.

The FIAT Ducato was first made in 1981.  It has been through three major generations.  The Promaster, first sold in 2014, is derived from the third generation which was released in 2006.  2 million of the Ducato-series vans made since 1981 are still on the road.      

For comparison:
Chevy vans were first made in 1964, and have been through 4 major generations (if we consider the Express/Savanna to be a generational change).   The 2006 Express is derived from the fourth generation released in 1995. Some number of Chevy vans made since 1964 are still on the road.  

Here is reference on the "hails from" phrase.

The timelines seem a bit muddled.

The timelines are straightforward and easy enough to confirm, if one wants accurate information.

 

[jonthebru]

I really liked the video and hope it sells some vans for them. But it's still a Dodge and now Fiat. Not for me.

 

[frater secessus]

I don't like whatever you chose, either.

 

[John61CT]

Statements of purely personal preference IMO don't add value to a thread.

Probably best to only contribute to threads that are actually of interest to you.

Or at least asking questions about those objective aspects you're skeptical about.

For example, is rear wheel drive truly superior when it comes to traction and handling?