Three new vans were unveiled today. They have new cockpits and control interfaces, aiming at higher safety and productivity, and stress-free driving. Driver assistance features include LED headlights.
The second-generation zero-emissions systems were fully designed and built by Stellantis, including new regenerative braking systems.
Compact vans
The new compact van series was customized for each brand. Opel/Vauxhall has high tech; Peugeot has the “i-cockpit,” a cleverly designed interior; Fiat has “magic cargo space” for customer; and Citroën has “advanced comfort” seats. The exteriors all have different front end appearances. A smartphone station allows the owner’s smart phone to take the place of normal telematics, including a car app. Instrument panel displays are over 10 inches diagonal and 360° vision is available—as are digital rearview mirrors.
Electric range is now up to 330 km, around 50 km more than prior models. A heat pump optimizes energy use in the winter to increase range. There are four body types including people-mover, two lengths, up to one ton of capacity, load length up to 3.44 meters, and a BEV or gasoline engine.
Midsize vans
Midsize vans have new instrument panels with digital clusters and over-the-air capabilities. They have surround vision for easier parking and safer driving.
In mid-2024, the hydrogen fuel cell motor will be available using STLA’s exclusive mid-power concept which replaces batteries with hydrogen tanks. It will provide 400 km of range, with fast refuelling. The second-generation BEVs will have 50 or 75 kw-h, improving range to 350 km (American standards are tougher than European standards for range).
There are six body types, including people mover; two lengths; and gross weights up to 14 tons.
Large vans
The large vans, excluding Ram, have new human-machine interfaces with a full digital gauge cluster; eat-and-work seat bench (reminiscent of the 1992 Dodge Ram 1500); and Level 2 assisted driving. They are the first large vans to reach Level 2 autonomous driving.
The BEV range is best in class—420 km—from a 110 km/h battery pack. From 0-80% charge takes less than one hour with fast charging. The first ever fuel-cell large van is coming next year. They will have new eight-speed automatic transmissions. Gasoline models will have 9% better fuel economy, with new engines, but with higher torque.
A Ram version of these new large vans was conspicuously absent. It is possible that the ProMaster will continue to live on, uniquely, for a few years until the company chooses to customize one of its European large vans for American use. This was a fairly long process when the ProMaster was created from Fiat’s large van, and included a unique powertrain and almost complete suspension replacement to deal with the US’ poor roads and Americans’ desire for higher cargo weight ratings.
David Zatz started what was to become the world’s biggest, most comprehensive Mopar site in 1994 as he pursued a career in organizational research and change. After a chemo-induced break, during which he wrote car books covering Vipers, minivans, and Jeeps, he returned with Patrick Rall to create StellPower.com for daily news, and to set up MoTales for mo’ tales.
David Zatz has around 30 years of experience in covering Chrysler/Mopar news and history, and most recently wrote Century of Chrysler, a 100-year retrospective on the Chrysler marque.
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