First look: Ducato gets truckin'

FIAT's redesigned Ducato commercial van, to be built in conjunction with Peugeot's Boxer and Citroen's Jumper, made its world public debut at Spain's Madrid motor show opening last Thursday (May 25) and, to celebrate the occasion, the Italian giant presented this wild take on the all-new cargo-mover.

Designed to emphasise the versatility of the new Ducato, which Fiat hopes will become popular motor body-builders around the world, the Ducato Truckster concept is a collaboration between the Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles Division, the Fiat Style Centre, Bosch, Behr, Sumitomo and Densal Thermal System.

Measuring a big 6480mm long, 2550mm high and 2490mm wide, Truckster features massive 28-inch wheels, LED headlights, hydraulically-controlled gullwing doors, smoked glass windows and an aerodynamic spoiler.

The "road racer" theme extends to Truckster's interior and Fiat says that like the production Ducato, Truckster is a modular vehicle with a range of possible uses - from show car to racecar/bike transporter, or even as a fashion show catwalk.

Says Fiat: "This capacity for transformation has always been a key feature of the Ducato: take the camper van version, for instance, leader in its field (two out of three campers are fitted onto a Ducato base), all thanks to the technical characteristics of a vehicle designed for body fitters." Fiat revealed first pictures and details of its new joint-venture Ducato (alongside its Peugeot and Citroen siblings) in May, and hopes to introduce the new model locally in 2007 as the latest in a 25-year-old model that has attracted 1.7 million sales worldwide since 1981.