Nexen gets OE nod on Ram 'ProMaster'

SHANGHAI (Dec. 5, 2014) — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has selected Nexen Tire Corp.'s Roadian CT8 HL tires as an OE fitment for the 2015 “Ram ProMaster” commercial van, to be assembled at FCA's Saltillo, Mexico, plant for sale throughout North America.

The ProMaster, which is based on the Fiat Ducato van, is the Ram brand's re-entry into the commercial van segment after a three-year absence. The fitment size will be LT225/75R16, load range E, Nexen said.

The ProMaster is front-wheel-drive, a design that allows FCA to offer the van in 13 different configurations, including two different roof heights, three different wheelbases and four different body lengths.

Because the vans have no rear driveshaft or differential, the ProMaster has a lower load floor, greater cargo capacity, lower weight and better fuel economy than its segment competitors, the auto maker claimed. Large sliding side doors and rear doors that open up to 260-degrees allow the ProMaster to accept full-sized pallets of materials that can be loaded with a forklift.

Powered by either Chrysler's 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or an optional 3 liter inline four-cylinder turbodiesel, the unibody ProMaster will have payload capacity of up to 5,145 pounds, depending on the configuration, FCA said earlier this year.

Nexen also is OE on the Ram 3500 pickup with the Roadian HTX RH5 and Roadian AT Pro RA8, in size LT235/80R17, load range E, Nexen said, and is being considered for OE on the Ram ProMaster City, a smaller delivery van based on the Fiat Doblo delivery van, which sits on a 108-inch wheelbase but offers about 120 cubic feet of interior space in the basic version and up to 177 cubic feet in the long-wheelbase high-roof Doblo XL version.