Two million Ducatos sold

The Fiat Ducato achieved a recent milestone as its production total has risen to two million units since the launch of the first version in 1981. The Ducato has been popular with self-employed workers such as tradespeople, shopkeepers and farmers across Europe for many years. Fiat claims the reasons for the vehicle"s success lie in the versatility that it has shown over more than a quarter of a century. The Ducato was introduced in 1981 and grew year after year until the turning point in 1994, when the second generation was launched. The stylists then no longer saw it as a single basic model with many specification variants but instead as a number of different vehicles specialised for different payload categories and operational missions. And the designers succeeded in producing no fewer than 2,000 variants and the Ducato was voted Van of the Year in 1994. The van has been built in partnership with the PSA Citroen Peugeot Group since 1978. This joint venture was recently extended to 2017. Fiat will have a Ducato Natural Power, with its dual methane and petrol fuel system, on sale from April 2009. Fiat considers that methane-driven power units are currently the most appropriate choice of technology and immediately available to solve pollution problems in urban areas. Methane distribution networks are also multiplying; there are currently more than 600 plants in Italy with plans for the opening of some 100 new refuelling stations before long. Fiat aims to use its Natural Power versions of the Ducato to reinforce its leadership in the sector still further. In 2007, the brand was responsible for 47 per cent of methane-driven commercial vehicle sales in Europe and 66.8 per cent in Italy.