Monday, January 5, 2015

2015 Ram ProMaster City: Little Van, Big Potential

When you're an automaker approaching 5 consecutive years of month-over-month and year-over-year growth you're well past the realm of "timing the market right" or "executing on some critical launches." That kind of sustained momentum requires consistent design, engineering, product planning and marketing excellence. And if the automaker in question oversees multiple brands those traits have to manifest across a wide spectrum of individuals, further adding to the challenge. Of course, in the case of FCA (formerly Chrysler Group LLC), some brands have played a larger role than others in helping the automaker maintain 56 straight months of sales growth. The Ram brand has been a key driver of FCA's success, and the numbers don't lie. Last year Ram sales were up almost 25 percent while the market as a whole was up six percent. Ram also gained 15 percent market share on the commercial side, and it's doubled overall share from 12 to 24 percent since becoming a stand-alone brand 5 years ago. However, as any wise corporate executive can attest, every positive sales, market share and revenue metric comes with the added pressure to beat those same numbers in the following months, quarters and years. How long can FCA and Ram keep its growth rate growing? "For as long as possible" company representatives told us when asked, just before letting us drive the all-new 2015 Ram ProMaster City van.

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