Mitsubishi to Supply Pickup Trucks to Fiat

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has finalized a deal to market a variant of Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s L200 pickup truck in Europe and Latin America beginning in 2016, Automotive News Europe reports.

Unnamed sources tell the online newspaper that FCA will market the Fiat-branded body-on-frame truck through its Fiat Professional commercial vehicle unit. MMC currently produces the L200 in Thailand.

Fiat already sells the Strada, a light-duty pickup with front-wheel drive, in Europe and Latin America. The company signaled eight years ago its intent to add a larger truck with a one-ton payload capacity. ANE notes that Fiat dropped earlier plans for a truck based on a Tata or Chrysler platform.

ANE says Fiat Professional hopes to increase its annual global sales 39% to 600,000 vehicles by 2018. Nearly 60% of the unit's sales are in Africa, Europe, Russia and the Middle East.