GM stands by its 1990s vintage vans; Fleet exec says customers are content - Automotive News
General Motors' full-sized commercial van -- sold as the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana -- has officially become the old man of that mainstay fleet segment. Chrysler also turned to Europe for its first full-sized commercial van since its Daimler days, launching the ProMaster last year, an Americanized version of the front-wheel-drive Fiat Ducato. Nissan hit the market with its Nissan NV rear-wheel-drive van in 2011. That leaves the Express and the mechanically identical Savana, the body-on-frame, rwd vans that have been around since 1996. GM's recent decision to discontinue the light-duty... Ed Peper, GM's vice president of U. S. fleet and commercial sales, said the 1500 model was a relatively light seller and that buyers can easily move up to a 2500 or down to the City Express small cargo van, which is a rebadged Nissan NV200 slated... Suburban Detroit auto analyst Alan Baum believes GM decided to let the vans stick around as it prioritized capital spending on other product programs following its 2009 bankruptcy. He expects GM's fleet customers to stick with the tried-and-true vans for a few years before eventually gravitating toward the improved fuel efficiency and smaller footprint of the Euro-style vans. Source: www.autonews.com
