We all know about the Ram ProMaster and ProMaster City vans that are sold in the United States and Canada. What many people don’t know is that ProMaster is sold in Mexico with a another variant called the Ram ProMaster Rapid. Based off the Brazilian Fiat Fiorino commercial van, which in turn is based on of the same architecture as the Fiat Uno.
The ProMaster Rapid is powered by the 1.4-liter FIRE flex-fuel four-cylinder. The engine makes 84 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm and 90 lb.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm. The 1.4-liter is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
The ProMaster Rapid comes with an independent McPherson front suspension with lower swing arms and stabilizer bar, while the rear suspension is made of a rigid shaft design. Stopping power comes from ventilated disk brakes up front, while drum brakes are equipped in the rear.
A spare tire is included with the ProMaster Rapid. The awkward placement of the spare tire behind the passenger seat confuses us.
Reverse Backup Sensors are standard on ProMaster Rapid. Also standard is the Bright White exterior paint, as that is the only color that the ProMaster Rapid comes in.
Now why you say might such a basic vehicle be the focus of this article? The ProMaster Rapid is best-selling commercial van in the country.
With a starting price of $12,300 USD (or $235,900 Mexican Pesos), the bare basics van is a hit for businesses large and small. While sales number aren’t huge in general in Mexico, the ProMaster Rapid is a huge chunk of combined sales for FCA Mexico. When the ProMaster Rapid had its best month ever in June 2018, it recorded 458 units sold. FCA Mexico has a combined sales of 7,824 units sold that month across seven brands (Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, Jeep, Ram and Mitsubishi Motors).
While Mexico’s sales are nothing like the Canada or the United States, the ProMaster Rapid has help put Ram’s Commercial division at the forefront in the country. So much so that last month global-logistics company, DHL purchased 230 of the Rapid for city deliveries.
ProMaster Rapid is just one small step in expanding the Ram Commercial brand globally over the next 5-year period. But the small delivery van has proven that Ram can have unique vehicles in it’s commercial lineup that are effective for a specific market.
2019 Ram ProMaster Rapid Media Gallery:
