US sales of Tofaş’s van to discontinue

ISTANBUL

Stellantis plans to discontinue the Ram ProMaster City, the smaller of the truck brand’s two van offerings, after the 2022 model year as the segment dwindles rapidly in the U.S. and automakers focus on adding larger electric vans instead, Automotive News has reported.

The ProMaster City is built in Türkiye by carmaker Tofaş at its plant in the northwestern province of Bursa.

“That particular segment has shrunk every year for the last four or five years, and overall, it’s become very difficult from a regulatory environment and also from that volume-commitment perspective,” Dave Sowers, head of Ram Commercial, told Automotive News.

“So, we’re really refocusing all of our efforts in the commercial van segments over the ProMaster.”

ProMaster City deliveries peaked in 2016 at 15,972 before falling in each of the next four years down to 10,409 in 2020, according to Automotive News.

After a 40 percent rise in 2021, ProMaster City sales fell by a third in the first half of this year, to 8,593.
Sowers said shipments to dealers are slated to continue through the first quarter of 2023.

The automaker planned to end ProMaster City production in 2021 but decided to keep it going for another year.
News that the ProMaster City, which debuted in 2015, will go out of production comes a week after Automotive News reported that Ford would stop selling the Transit Connect in the U.S. at the end of 2023.

Tofaş was founded in 1968 as a joint venture between Turkish industrial group Koç Holding and FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles).

Following the merger between FCA and PSA, Stellantis became the joint venture partner with Koç Holding. The Turkish conglomerate and Stellantis each have 37.85 percent stake in Tofaş, while 24.3 percent of its shares are traded on the stock exchange.