Ford Transit is meeting demand in nearly any application

Ford Transit: A build for nearly any application

Hetman-Ford
Yaroslav Hetman, Ford Transit, Transit Connect and E-Series brand
manager

Last year, Ford made a big splash in the light-duty van market with its all-new, full-size Ford Transit van, a North American offering that was backed by a $1.1 billion investment and 2,000 new employees at its Kansas City Assembly Plant. While Transit has been the van sales leader in the U.K. for the past 49 years—to date, more than seven million Transits have been sold in 118 markets on six continents since 1965—Transit marked a departure from Ford’s classic E-Series and has ushered in a new era for the industry-leading van manufacturer.

“Transit has been extremely well received, and the sales numbers tell much of that story,” says Yaroslav Hetman, Ford Transit, Transit Connect and E-Series brand manager. “In November 2014, Transit became the leader in the full-size bus and van sales segment. Transit was also the first unibody van to outsell the traditional body-on-frame vans, including E-Series, in the United States with a total of 4,851 sold in November. The trend continued in December 2014, with U.S. Transit sales reaching 10,030 units and contributing heavily to December being the best single month of Ford van sales since June 1999.”

Hetman attributed Transit’s rapid success in the van market to its flexibility, fuel economy and cargo capacity. Comparing that to E-Series, which Transit has replaced, Ford’s latest offering touts up to 75% more cargo volume, 600 lbs. more payload capability and as much as 46% better EPA-estimated fuel economy, when equipped with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine compared to the 6.8L V10 in the E-Series.

Fleet focus

“One of the advantages of Transit is that it can meet the needs of practically any van application—from package delivery to passenger transport,” Hetman explains. “In fact, Transit’s flexibility has allowed it to take on jobs that were unlikely to be previously handled by E-Series vans, like food trucks and general contractor mobile offices on major construction sites.”

In addition to the increased capability and fuel economy, one other factor that sets Transit apart is its range of configurations. Transit offers van, wagon, chassis cab and cutaway body styles, with three roof heights, three wheelbases, three body lengths and three engine choices, totaling 47 configurations available from the factory. If that weren’t enough, nine of Ford’s 12 approved ship-through upfitters have invested in new facilities within 20 miles of the Kansas City Assembly Plant that builds Transit—enabling Ford customers to customize their Transits with vocational upfits and to do so with unprecedented speed.

“When looking at our dealer orders, the most popular configuration so far has been the medium roof, long wheelbase option,” Hetman says. “It provides close to 30% more cargo capacity than the largest E-Series while at the same time still offering up to 46% better EPA-estimated fuel economy, when equipped with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine compared to the 6.8L V10 in the E-Series.”

Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a top focus of fleet managers regardless of fleet size, according to Hetman. Service after the sale is a significant portion of TCO, with every additional minute of downtime costing customers money. This is why Ford has built its Business Preferred Network of 635 dedicated commercial dealers—74% of commercial customers are located within 30 miles of a BPN dealer and more than 54% are within 10 miles of one. Additionally, Hetman explains that Transit can be serviced at any of the more than 3,000 Ford dealers nationwide.

Moving forward

Ford isn’t content with resting on its success last year. “The record-setting sales performance of Transit during its first six months on the market is just the beginning,” Hetman says. “We are committed to maintaining the title of America’s best-selling van manufacturer as we have done for the last 36 years.”

You May Also Like

NTEA releases 2024 edition of CV certification guide

NTEA tells us the new edition features several changes including shortened label information and improved organization for better searchability.

NTEA-logo-work-truck-association

NTEA, The Work Truck Association, released a new edition of its Commercial Vehicle Certification Guide to capture the latest regulatory information in the U.S. and Canada. NTEA says the guide offers a representation of compliance mandates and implications facing work truck industry companies in North America. Content addresses safety certification and labeling requirements vital to conformance with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada regulations, according to NTEA.

Freightliner M2, SD Plus Series launch updates its medium-duty truck offering

Freightliner introduced the new Plus Series–enhanced versions of its M2 and SD models, including the M2 106 Plus, M2 112 Plus, 108SD Plus, and 114SD Plus. The enhanced models provide a major update to the interior and electrical systems of the M2 and SD models. The OEM noted that the Plus Series is designed to

Freightliner-MD-SD-Plus-Series-1400
Truck cruise control technology that looks at the road ahead

If you’ve ever visited the Northeast region of the country, you’ve most likely encountered intimidating terrain. The winding roads. The steep hills. The intricate routes that challenge any seasoned driver, and, most recently, advanced cruise control systems that aim to improve fuel efficiency and driver comfort.   Related Articles – Four ways A.I. can help cut

Four ways A.I. can help cut diesel fuel costs

The fluctuation of fuel prices has made it more challenging to operate day-to-day. Drivers get paid by the mile, and, when fuel costs go up, margins shrink, impacting how fleets profit and pay their employees. Intelligent technology can lessen the impact of high prices by improving overall fuel efficiency. Related Articles – New ways to

trucking-technology-hacking
Peterbilt GM Jason Skoog charts today’s truck support, tomorrow’s truck solutions

Peterbilt made headlines recently when it became the first major North American OEM to open orders for an electric truck, the Peterbilt 220EV. In this exclusive interview, Peterbilt General Manager and PACCAR Vice President Jason Skoog details the technology investments that are keeping fleets productive during this year’s trying pandemic and laying the groundwork for

Peterbilt General Manager PACCAR Technology Electric Truck

Other Posts

Heavy-Duty Leadership Group responds to national charging corridor plans

The group applauded the White House’s plans to accelerate a phased-in development of a freight charging network across the U.S. by 2040.

Trucks-fleet-freight-charging-infrastructure-EV-chargers-generic
GreenPower launches new truck body business

The company says GP Truck Body offers a complete line of truck bodies.

GP_Truck_Body
Vanair introduces PTO shaft-driven all-in-one Underdeck power system

The PTO Shaft-Driven Underdeck All-in-One Power System has been designed to integrate beneath the vehicle chassis.

Morgan Truck Body announces new concept bodies

Morgan Truck Body introduced the Projects “Agora” and “Blackjack” concept bodies.