Tag Archives: Transit

Ford & Volkswagen win at Auto Express Awards

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New Ford TransitFord has continued its run of award-winning form by picking up the Auto Express ‘Van of the Year’ award for its brand-new Transit, the first examples of which have gone on the road in the last few weeks.

It’s the second consecutive win in this prestigious category for Ford — last year, the firm’s Transit Custom model won, in its introductory year. Commenting on this year’s award, Steve Fowler, Auto Express editor-in-chief, said:

“Ford really has thrown absolutely everything at it and come up with one of the best vans we’ve ever seen. The numbers stack up so well for businesses, while it’s easier than ever to load and more enjoyable to drive.”

Ford’s Fiesta also picked up the ‘Best Supermini’ award, while the Ford Ranger managed a commendation in the pick-up class. However, the class winner in the pick-up class, which these days straddles the commercial vehicle and car markets, was the

Volkswagen Amarok Canyon edition

The new Volkswagen Amarok Canyon limited edition

Volkswagen Amarok, which bagged the ‘Best Pick-Up’ award for the third consecutive year.

Commenting on the award, Steve Fowler said:

“The Amarok remains the best pick-up by some margin. Nothing comes close to its brilliant combination of carrying ability and car-like road manners, with the efficiency expected by demanding buyers. The fact it has the rugged looks required of a class-leading pick-up is the icing on the cake.”

As we’ve seen in the van sector, where engine sizes are coming down, pick-ups are also managing with smaller engines than in the past.

The Amarok uses a 2.0-litre diesel engine in all models, but the twin-turbo configuration means it still delivers a whopping 180PS of power and 400Nm of torque, giving it a healthy 3t towing capacty and 1.1t payload.

Ford floods water fleet in new single-marque deal

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Affinity Water Ford fleetWater company Affinity Water has signed a solus deal with Ford for the supply of commercial vehicles and cars, citing Ford’s wide range of recently introduced models as a key factor in its choice.

Affinity Water expects to replace around 300 of its 570 cars and light commercials with Ford models over the coming three years.

Affinity Water, the largest water-only supplier in the UK, previously sourced its vehicles from a number of different manufacturers.

The majority of the fleet are light commercials operated by engineers maintaining the firm’s water-supply infrastructure which serves more than 3.5 million people in parts of London, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.

“One of the reasons Ford scored more highly than other manufacturers on our shortlist was because of the wide range of models on offer,” said Leroy Thomas, Affinity Water’s fleet services contract manager. “Ford was the only company able to supply the range required: everything from Fiesta Van through Transit Connect and Transit Custom through to the full-size Transit, as well as the Ranger.

“Ford has also recently renewed a lot of its range. The models are new and therefore offer increased safety features, better mpg and CO2 emissions across the range. We also recognised the fact that Ford has for three years in a row been voted number one manufacturer by the top 50 fleet management companies for vehicles requiring the fewest days off the road for maintenance.”

Alison Geddes, Affinity Water’s procurement category manager added:

“These factors, including the savings we have been able to make in terms of acquisition and leasing costs, helped us reach the decision that Ford was the right manufacturer for us.”

Ford last year recorded its highest share of the European CV market since 2007 and sold 72,238 commercial vehicles in the UK, an increase of 5,781 year-on-year, growth driven by demand for the new Ford Transit Custom and the Ford Ranger pick-up.

New Ford Transit undergoes torture tests:

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Ford Transit durability testing off road

Testing the new Ford Transit off road — all in a day’s work for the average builder!

Like its small sibling, the Transit Custom, Ford has ensured that the all-new Transit will survive 10 years of the toughest treatment by using an especially punishing accelerated ageing process as part of its development.

Durability tests included the equivalent of driving 11 million kilometres – or 275 round-the-world trips – at state-of-the-art proving grounds and in extreme conditions across the globe where temperatures ranged from +40 to -40 deg C.

“I don’t think many customers would believe what this vehicle has been through,” said David Gregory, Transit chief programme engineer, Ford of Europe. “We inflict the worst possible treatment that a van could endure, and we’re only satisfied when our new vehicle comes through with flying colours – just as the Transit has done.”

As the first Transit to be sold in both Europe and North America, the all-new model was subjected to this testing both at Ford’s facilities in Lommel, Belgium, and in Romeo, Michigan.

At Lommel, the all-new Transit, including van, chassis cab and minibus versions, was put through more than 30 punishing vehicle tests. These included the trailer tow general durability test, conducted at maximum weight with a fully loaded trailer and being driven at top speed non-stop for two months, pounding over rough gravel roads, and through salt- and mud-baths. The prototypes also were tested for corrosion resistance in high-humidity chambers for 12 weeks and put through non-stop figure-of-eight manoeuvres for one month.

Ford Transit durability test kerb impact

Couriers are forced to do this around 100 times per day — but not usually at 37mph!

Engineers have driven the all-new Transit more than 5,000 times over an extreme course of potholes and bumps, and conducted a strength test by driving it at 60 km/h (37 mph) into a 14 cm high kerb.

Ford also tested the Transit prototypes from the Austrian Alps to Death Valley: in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.

Vehicles faced the 40 deg C heat of Arizona, Dubai and South Africa, the bitter -40 deg C cold in Finland (where it won the annual Arctic Van Test) and Canada, as well as challenging journeys through Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Turkey and the U.S.

Prior to launch, the new model covered more than 300,000 miles of tough real-world use with high-mileage Transit customers. In the test labs, the all-new Transit’s 2.2-litre Duratorq diesel engine was subjected to 46 days of continuous high-load urban driving on specialised rigs, as part of tens of thousands of hours of engine testing.

Component test rigs were used to simulate real-world punishment, replicating the full 10-year vehicle lifecycle in just 30 days.

Ford Transit durability test salt water

There’s nothing like a salt bath to keep your bodywork in good condition

Ford has made more than 100 significant improvements to the Transit as a direct result of its testing regime including the redesign of the side rail on jumbo van models, and strengthening of the rear cross-member on chassis cabs.

“Pushing the van to the limit and beyond helps us to deliver a stronger, more robust product. This translates directly into every-day reliability for the customer, however tough their working environment,” Gregory added.

The all-new two-tonne Transit is the flagship of the completely redesigned and expanded Ford Transit range, and is now on sale in the UK and across Europe alongside the Transit Custom, Transit Connect and Transit Courier models.

Ford’s made a video showing some of the highlights of the testing, take a look below to see the tests as they happened:

Vans targeted in ‘crash for cash’ claims

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White van man’ is increasingly being targeted by criminals running dangerous crash for cash fraud rings, according to new research.

According to law firm Hill Dickinson, which has a fraud database with 200 million records and details of 10 million insurance claims, only one van — the Ford Transit — appears in the top 20 for general insurance claims, but five vans appear in the top 20 vehicles targeted in ‘crash for cash’ scams in the last 12 months.

As a result, light commercial vehicles have been involved in almost a third of all deliberate collisions caused by ‘crash for cash’ gangs in a worrying trend that has emerged in the last 12 months, suggesting vans are being deliberately targeted.

Fraudsters target professional vehicles like vans because they are most likely to be fully insured, and their drivers are often working to a tight deadline and are therefore less likely to dispute liability, according to anti-fraud firm APU’s team of former Police officers and forensic investigators.

One in seven personal injury claims – some 69,500 a year – are linked to suspected crash for cash scams, costing the motor industry £392 million annually. Neil Thomas, APU’s Director of Investigative Services and a former Detective Inspector of West Midlands Police, said:

“This is yet another example of how criminal fraud gangs are becoming more sophisticated – they are thinking quite hard about exactly who they target on the roads and it’s based on solid logic.

“Britain’s LCV drivers are a hard-working lot and are very often pushed for time, so they are less likely to stand by the side of the road arguing the case about a collision. The criminals are banking on the fact that they will simply exchange insurance details and move on. It’s cynical but it works.”

Indeed, these figures suggest that the Transit is the most frequently-targeted vehicle in induced accidents, and along with the Mercedes Sprinter, Vauxhall Vivaro, Citroen Berlingo, Volkswagen Transporter and tipper vans, account for 31% of induced claims.

No Induced % No General Insurance Claims %
1 Transit 15.2 1 Focus 10.21
2 Astra 11.4 2 Astra 10.2
3 Vectra 9.1 3 Corsa 8.9
4 Corsa 6.9 4 Fiesta 8.6
5 Focus 6.82 5 Transit 7.3
6 Golf 6.8 6 Golf 6.94
7 Sprinter 6.1 7 Mondeo 4.75
8 Punto 4.55 8 Clio 4.6
9 206 3.8 9 Megane 4.3
10 Fiesta 3.79 10 Zafira 4.2
11 Vivaro 3.78 11 206 4
12 Discovery 3.03 12 Vectra 3.85
13 Megane 3 13 Polo 3.64
14 Mondeo 3 14 Civic 3.25
15 Berlingo 2.3 15 Micra 3.18
16 Transporter 2.27 16 Passat 3
17 Range R 2.2 17 Punto 2.9
18 Land R 2 18 307 2.2
19 106 2 19 Avensis 2
20 Tipper 1.52 20 Yaris 1.94

With an average value of £30,000, the crash for cash scam is when a vehicle driven by a member of the fraud gang causes a deliberate collision with that of an innocent victim. Traditionally, this involves the fraudster pulling in front of his chosen target and slamming on the brakes, allowing little time for the innocent party to avoid a collision.

Last summer, APU revealed the worrying new tactic, which it dubbed ‘Flash for Crash’, which involves innocent drivers being beckoned out of a junction by the flash of headlights, only to be hit by the criminals’ car. The almost undetectable tactic makes it harder for an innocent driver to prove fault in the resulting ‘their word against mine’ dispute.

Ford pipes 200 new vans to National Grid gas fleet

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National Grid Ford Transit CustomFord has bagged a total of 15 awards for its new range of vans over the last 12 months, and was recently chosen as ‘Van Manufacturer of the Year 2014’ at the Van Fleet World Awards. The company’s critical success is translating into sales, too, as news of a 200-van delivery to National Grid confirms.

The utility giant has taken delivery of 200 new Transit Custom vans for use by engineers who maintain the firm’s gas supply network. The order is a relative drop in the ocean for National Grid, whose fleet numbers around 3,350 vehicles, but the majority of these also bear the blue oval, making the company a very important customer for Ford UK.

The fully-liveried Ford Transit Custom ECOnetic models, powered by the Dagenham-built 2.2-litre TDCi 100PS diesel engine, are now fully operational throughout the National Grid fleet, equipped with racking systems, first aid equipment and special lighting. The vans are used for emergency call-outs and day-to-day by engineers, including the fitment and repair of gas metering equipment.

Comprehensive racking and safety equipment

The new vans have been comprehensively fitted with racking, first aid and lighting equipment.

Ford direct sales manager Stephen Gafson, said:

“The new Transit Custom is ideally suited to its role with National Grid and financially it clearly makes sense to the company, too. We are very pleased that Ford’s long association with National Grid is to continue.”

The new Transit Custom sold more than 10,000 units in its first year and has been a major success for Ford, bringing its van range into line with manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, who have long offered two different sizes of vans where Ford has managed with a single Transit model.

The Transit Custom is the equivalent to the Transporter (VW) and Vito (Merc) models and will shortly be joined on UK roads by Ford’s new two-tonne Transit, which will give the firm a direct challenger for the Sprinter, Crafter, Ducato and Relay.

Ford reveals details of all-new Transit Courier small van

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Ford van range 2014

The all-new Transit Courier will go on sale this summer, completing Ford’s new range of Transit vans.

Ford has confirmed the specification of its all-new Transit Courier small van, which the firm hopes will take market share from the Peugeot Bipper/Citroen Nemo/Fiat Fiorino model, which is made by the French PSA group.

The Transit Courier goes on sale this summer, and is the final model to be added to Ford’s all-new four-van range, following the Transit Connect, Transit Custom and Transit.

Engine room

Transit Courier will be available with three engine choices, all of which promise outstanding fuell efficiency and low emissions:

  • 95PS 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel: 76.3mpg / 97 g/km CO2
  • 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol: 54.3mpg / 119g/km CO2
  • 75PS 1.5-litre diesel: 72.4mpg / 103g/km CO2

All of these figures are for vans specified with Ford’s optional Auto-Start-Stop system and in some cases a 100 km/h speed limiter, but they promise impressive fuel consumption nonetheless.

Ford Transit Courier

The new Ford Transit Courier

All powertrains offer extended one-year/20,000 mile service intervals and the vehicle design has been optimised for ease of serviceability and repair.

A multi-piece rear bumper, rugged body-side protection and high-mounted front and rear lights help to reduce the cost of accident damage and lead to lower insurance premiums. Expensive fuelling errors are avoided by the unique, standard-fit, Ford Easy Fuel system.

Load up

In the load department, the Transit Courier promises a lot, too. The van will have a maximum payload of 660kg and can hold a standard Euro pallet, while the load compartment will include a number of features that should make it attractive to fleet buyers and tradesmen:

  • Longer load length at floor level of 1.62m, and easier loading of bulky items via optional sliding rear side doors (width 453mm with bulkhead)
  • Full-height, full-width steel bulkhead (glazed or unglazed), fully compliant with the internationally-recognised standards for load restraints DIN and ISO
  • Ford Transit Courier interior

    Inside the new Ford Transit Courier

    Optional folding mesh bulkhead (DIN- and ISO-compliant) and fold-dive passenger seat for longer items up to 2.59m, and maximum load volume of 2.6m3 (SAE)

  • Six cargo tie-down points (DIN- and ISO-compliant), including four rear side-mounted points to avoid obstruction of the floor area
  • Multiple pre-installed bodyside fixing points to mount racking or framework
  • Optional ultra-bright LED loadspace lighting for the van bodystyle

Safety first

Finally, Ford continues to raise the bar in terms of safety — traditionally a weak spot for many vans.

Customers can specify Ford SYNC with Emergency Assistance, the latter of which assists the occupants to call the local emergency services operator in the event of an accident, as well as Speed Limiters and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System. The standard Electronic Stability Control system features Hill Start Assist, Traction Control and Roll-Over Mitigation.

The passenger-carrying Kombi model (effectively a crew cab) also offers side curtain airbags, knee airbags and second-row seat beltminders, in addition to cab area driver, passenger and side airbags.

As with Ford’s other new Transit models, it’s hard to see the new Transit Courier failing — Ford’s cars and vans are amongst the best in the world at the moment, and while it may lack the cachet of the German brands, Ford’s new vehicles don’t want for anything in terms of quality, driveability, practicality or safety.

“Untouchable” Ford vans claim six trophies at 2014 VansA2Z Awards

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The new Ford Transit

Ford dealers are now taking orders for the all-new Ford Transit, which romped away with the Van of the Year title at the recent 2014 VansA2Z Awards.

Ford’s van range has scooped six major trophies at the 2014 VansA2Z Awards, including the overall Van of the Year title with the all-new Transit.

The all-new Ford Transit was crowned Van of the Year and claimed victory in the Large Panel Van of the Year category, while the all-new Ford Transit Custom secured Diesel Eco Van of the Year and, for the second year running, the Small Panel Van of the Year title.

Ford’s all-new Transit Connect – International Van of the Year 2014 – was voted Light Van of the Year and the Ford Fiesta Van claimed Small Van of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Ford has good form at the VansA2Z awards — last year it scored a straight six, and the blue oval earned a hat-trick of trophies the previous year.

The firm’s conspicuous success — not least in displacing the Sprinter from its long-running slot as ‘Best Large Panel Van’ — is a result of Ford’s significant global investment into the all-new four-vehicle Transit family, which is being rolled out to UK customers over just 18 months.

Neil McIntee, VansA2Z editor, said:

“We’re delighted to award the all-new Transit Best Large Panel Van and the overall Van of the Year title. Ford has continued to raise the bar in the commercial vehicle market, with the introduction of Transit Custom, Transit Connect and new Transit – all of which boast dynamic looks, are superb to drive, and loaded with practical Ford technology and functional design features. At the moment, the Ford range is untouchable.”

Although Ford vans aren’t built in the UK anymore, it is encouraging to know that the majority of the design and engineering work on the new Ford commercial vehicle range was conducted at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre, Essex, which is the global centre of excellence for the company’s commercial vehicles and powertrain development.

Ford rivals feel chill as blue oval bags double win in Arctic Van Test

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The new Ford Transit was the class winner in this year's Arctic Van Test

The new Ford Transit was the class winner in this year’s Arctic Van Test.

Ford’s new Transit and Transit Connect vans have earned an unprecedented double win in this year’s Arctic Van Test, which pits production models of all popular vans against each other in the Arctic conditions of winter in northern Finland.

The all-new Ford Transit and the all-new Ford Transit Connect finished first in their respective classes after competing in the punishing five-day ordeal that subjects vehicles and drivers to extreme challenges in ice, cold and snow, in the frozen north of Finland – where temperatures can drop as low as -50 C.

Expert drivers from six European commercial vehicle magazines drove all the vans taking part in the Arctic Van Test and rated the two Transits winners to deliver Ford’s first double victory in the event’s 23-year history. From slaloming across a frozen airfield, to tackling a torturous 700 kilometre route of icy, rutted roads, the Ford Transit vans won for their overall performance across categories that included fuel efficiency, load carrying, and handling.

The challenge also tests engine starting, and heating and demister operation, after vehicles have been left outside overnight in sub-freezing conditions. To see the vans in action, take a look at this video:

The all-new Ford Transit was rated top or joint-top in nine out of 13 categories against rival vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. The smaller all-new Ford Transit Connect was ranked top or joint-top in seven categories, and particularly impressed for its handling and stability in icy conditions, against rivals from Citroen, Renault and Volkswagen.

“The Ford vans were clear winners in very slippery conditions – a great advantage when frozen roads can be found anywhere, and not just found on the test track,” said Heikki Laurell of Auto Tekniikka ja Kuljetus magazine in Finland, which organises the annual event. “Our tests push vans to the limit, and can be quite a shock if you are not used to a Scandinavian winter.”

The all-new Ford Transit is on sale now with over 7,500 orders already taken in the UK, suggesting that it will beat the opening-year total of more than 10,000 logged by its smaller brother, the Transit Custom, in 2013.

1-in-5 Vans Sold In UK Is A Ford

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The new Ford Transit

The new Ford Transit is now on sale, with first deliveries due later in the first half of this year.

The Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus are the UK’s two top-selling vehicles. The third, perhaps surprisingly, is a van, the Ford Transit.

The Transit has been the biggest selling commercial vehicle in the UK since its launch in 1965, and there are currently more than 700,000 Transit on the road in the UK, according to Ford — one in four of all the vans on the road.

The blue oval’s success doesn’t end there: in 2013, Ford sold 72,238 commercial vehicles in the UK, giving it a 20.9% market share.

Across Europe, patriotic preferences shape the market differently, but Ford’s share increased from 8.5% in 2012 to 9.2% last year, nevertheless, thanks in part to the success of its Ford Ranger, a model that only has one equal amongst European marques, the Volkswagen Amarok.

Ford’s big new van bet

Ford has taken the unusual and bold move of replacing its entire CV line-up in the space of 24 months. The process started last year, with the introduction of the the new Transit Custom and Fiesta Vans, while this year has already seen the launch of the new Transit Connect, which will shortly be followed by the full-size new Transit and a long-awaited replacement for a discontinued model, the Transit Courier.

The outgoing Transit was neither as big as the largest vans on the market, like the Sprinter and Ducato, nor quite as small as vans such as the Vito and VW Transporter. This unique size formula has worked well for many years, but Ford has decided to go mainstream with its revamped CV range, and the new Transit — referred to as the two-tonne model — will be a full-size large van, aimed squarely at the Sprinter, Ducato, Relay et al.

Filling the smaller space vacated by the outgoing Transit is the Transit Custom, which sold 41,500 units across Europe in its first year of production, and by all accounts is an extremely accomplished van.

Ford is taking a risk by changing a winning formula, but I suspect it will pay off, and if the new Transit is as good as early reviews suggest, it could increase the firm’s market share still further, as van operators for whom the old Transit wasn’t big enough will be able to meet their requirements with the new model, including van hire fleets, who may finally have a realistic alternative to the big Sprinter.

Van Registrations Up 13.1% In 2013

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Following their surge in November, van registrations rose by 13.1% in the UK last year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The new figures show that 271,073 new vans were registered in the UK last year, including 20,949 in December, which represents a 32.5% increase over December 2012.

UK van and truck registrations: 2013 and % change on 2012

December % change Year-to-date % change Rolling year % change
Vans 20,949 32.5% 271,073 13.1% 271,073 13.1%
Trucks 11,351 217.2% 56,218 23.0% 56,218 23.0%
Total 32,300 66.6% 327,291 14.7% 327,291 14.7%

Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)

The biggest sector of the UK van market by far is the 2.5 – 3.5t sector, which accounted for 153,428 of the 271,073 vans registered in the UK last year, and 11% increase in registrations compared to the previous year. However, the sector that saw the largest growth was the next one down in size — there was a 27.7% increase in 2.0 – 2.5t van registrations in 2013, taking the total number registered to 39,613.

Commenting on the figures Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, believes that there may be more good news to come in 2014:

“The 2013 commercial vehicle market rose 14.7%, making it the best performance in the last five years … van owners and operators responded positively to the wider economic recovery finishing the year more than 13% up on 2012.

The introduction of new Euro 6 trucks will be of key interest to the heavy end of the market in 2014, while we expect the forthcoming launches of several new light commercial vans to deliver further growth in this important sector.”

All-new Ford Transit 2-tonne model

The all-new Ford Transit 2-tonne model is now available to order.

One of the new vans referred to by Hawes in his comments is the all-new two-tonne Ford Transit, which is now available to order and is due to go on sale later this year.

The new Transit will, for the first time in many years, give Ford a large van with which to directly challenge the dominant Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, as well as other large models such as the Citroen Relay, Fiat Ducato and Volkswagen Crafter.

It’s easy to see why Ford has adopted the new format, as the 2.5t – 3.5t sector accounts for 55% of the vans sold in the UK, and the new model will also be suitable for sale in the US and Canada, in-line with Ford’s global vision.

However, it will be interesting to see how many tradesmen and small businesses miss the old jack-of-all-trades Transit format — Ford sold 47,507 of the 2007-13 Transit in 2013, giving the legacy model a 29% share of the overall UK market for one- and two-tonne vans.

The Transit Custom and forthcoming new Transit will have a lot to live up to.