• Readers of German trade magazine­­­ Promobil have elected Ducato “Best camper base 2018”, once again confirming its leadership in this segment.
• It continues its absolute dominance of the European market, where about 3 of every 4 campers sold are on a Ducato base.
• And this best-selling Fiat Professional model’s 3 millionth vehicle was actually a Ducato camper base.

 

Ducato continues its unbroken sequence of international awards by fighting off big-name competitors to win the title of “Best camper base 2018” for the eleventh consecutive time. This coveted award is assigned by the readers of “Promobil”, the German specialist magazine that has provided a major reference point in the recreational vehicle sector for more than 25 years. What’s more, a Ducato camper base was the 3 millionth vehicle of this best-selling Fiat Professional model.

 

This dual success confirms customers’ confidence in the Ducato model as the ideal leisure vehicle base, making it an amazing Italian success story right around the globe. In fact, it is the only base specifically created for the camper sector, a fast-growing industry: registrations in 2017 recorded an increase of more than 10% compared to the previous year. These figures strongly highlight the widespread return to the “outdoor life”, as people seek to re-establish a link with the environment. As a consequence, the camper is viewed more and more as a lifestyle enabler: not just a vehicle for use on holidays, but a means to freedom, for users to go wherever they want, whenever they want.

 

Ducato ­­­­is built at the Sevel Sud Plant in the Val di Sangro (Europe’s largest light commercial vehicle plant, which holds World Class Manufacturing silver level and occupies an area of more than 1,200,000 square metres), and benefits from more than 36 years of experience: from 1981 to the present, its successful features have been continually perfected, and Ducato is now a genuine trendsetter, produced in over 10,000 variants and sold in more than 80 countries worldwide. A global model and a reference for its class. Furthermore, the Ducato camper base was designed and developed together with the top camper producers in Europe, in order to achieve the best integrated solutions for both base and living pod.

 

Ducato is “Leader in freedom”

This is a concept with a clearly defined meaning. ‘Freedom’ is what Fiat Professional promises to customers by guaranteeing that it will be on hand with a solution to any problem they may have during their holiday. “Leader”, because today the Brand’s offer of specific services for the motorhome world is unique and unrivalled on the market. Over the years, the Ducato camper base has continually evolved, with regard to both the product and also the development of services shaped to the needs of camper travellers. The ability to listen to customers – which starts with Customer Care and continues in Fiat Professional’s workshops – means being able not only to respond efficiently to current needs, but also to plan ahead for those of the future.

 

The underlying principle is that anyone buying a camper buys not just a vehicle but a holiday too. Therefore, the service concept does not stop with product assistance but includes caring for customers on holiday by being on hand at all times. Specifically, a complete, dedicated network located along camper users’ favourite routes, a dedicated Customer Care Centre where every camper can access knowledge and expertise on the camper world, and roadside assistance ready to deliver help fast throughout Europe and beyond.

 

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, camper users can call the dedicated Customer Care Centre and talk, in their own language, to one of the twenty “Fiat Camper Brand Ambassadors”. The Ambassador’s mission is to resolve the customer’s problem as fast as possible, interfacing with and coordinating the company departments involved, and constantly maintaining a dialogue based on understanding and expertise with the customer. To guarantee this, the dedicate team’s members receive continual training and updates all year long, and attend the major European shows in the sector, to garner optimal, increasingly first-hand knowledge of the world of camper vans and their users.

 

Besides this, Customer Care is more and more closely integrated with the work of the roadside assistance services and workshops: all camper owners can count on a mobile workshop able to reach them in no fewer than 44 different countries, and on telephone support round the clock, 7 days a week, which contacts them to update them on repair procedures and times, while giving the workshop active support to facilitate diagnosis and ensure spare parts are delivered in the shortest possible time.

 

The organisation also delivers a complete range of services, all tailored to the motorhome customer’s needs, from the priceless “Maximum Care Camper” international warranty extensions – which covers all the Ducato’s mechanical and electrical components, with various duration and mileage options – to the innovative “Fiat Ducato Camper Mobile” app, which also provides tourist information, and has now been downloaded by more than 110,000 camper owners. Today, anyone travelling by Ducato Motorhome knows they can rely on more than 6,500 Fiat Professional service centres, equipped to maintain and repair the Ducato base, more than 1,800 of which are specific Fiat Camper Assistance points.

 

Fiat Professional has been at the side of those who travel by camper van for years: this is confirmed by attendance at more than 10 European trade shows each year, a dedicated website https://www.fiatcamper.com/it/home, which averages 74,000 visits a month, the “Fiat Ducato Camper” Facebook page with more than 56,000 fans, and the “Fiat Camper Mobile” app with over 110,000 downloads. Furthermore, it invests time and resources to continually improve products and services, together with Mopar – the brand overseeing services, customer care, original parts and accessories for the FCA brands.