The three millionth Fiat Ducato has rolled down the production line in Italy, providing yet another measure of the worldwide success of Fiat's van and cab chassis range.

The three millionth model in question is the Fiat Ducato Maxi Van equipped with the 2.3 JTD 16 valve engine, purchased by a German customer from the Düsseldorf Fiat dealer.

In 1981 the Val di Sangro plant was built specifically for the Ducato family and it started operations by producing 350 vehicles a day. Subsequent expansion to cope with a wider product range has resulted in the current output of 900 units per day.

Ducato has proven to be a success over the years: currently, it is the second most popular light commercial vehicle of its segment sold in Europe and it is the top selling van for the first ten months of 2005.

High versatility (more than 600 versions and 140 options) and outstanding capacity (load from 1,000 to some 1,800 kg and volume from 7.5 to 14 cubic meters) have combined to ensure its success in markets around the world and allow it to be adapted to millions of specific requirements.

Sevel Val di Sangro is the largest light commercial vehicle plant in Europe. It is located between the towns of Atessa and Paglieta in the Chieti Province - occupying an area of over 1,200,000 square metres, of which 337,500 square metres covered - and is geared for the entire production cycle, namely body assembly, spraying and final assembly.

The plant currently employs 5,250 workers, 95.3 per cent of whom reside locally in the region of Abruzzo. Every single day 250 trucks deliver semi-finished materials to the plant, and 200 vehicle carriers plus four trains leave with their full load of finished vehicles.

The plant meets the highest standards of quality and is environment-friendly, the internal quality system being ISO certified to 9001:2000. The environmental management system is also certified to ISO 14001.

Fiat's Val di Sangro plant

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