Ford revealed plans for a new Transit full-sized commercial van that will be released in the U.S. sometime late 2013. The truck is being advertised as the company's largest full-size commercial van ever produced and will be able to hold approximately 15 people.
"The all-new Transit is a game changer," said Ford President Joe Hinrichs in a Ford press release. "Transit raises the game for our customers in North America and around the world with even greater work capability and significantly lower operating costs, helping improve their productivity and bottom lines. These, literally, are the vehicles people trust and rely on for their livelihoods."
Ford already has high expectations for new Transit, as they're hoping the vehicle pushes sales over the 21 million mark by 2017. Ford is well known for being the second-largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world, but they're also the best-selling commercial vehicle brand in North America according to the company press release.
In North America, the Transit will replace the E-Series vehicles which were first released in 1961 as the Ford Econoline. The E-Series has been the company's leading commercial van for the past 33 years, so a lot is riding on the Transit and Transit Connect models to succeed.
With the new van, Ford is hoping to reach the needs of customers in six continents and 116 different markets.
The new van will be offered in three different sizes, two different wheelbases, three different roof heights, and in XL and XLT trim levels the company stated this week.
"The Transit is the new standard in full-size vans and customer choice," said Director of Ford Commercial Vehicle Operations Len Deluca in a press release. "We're going from an exclusively gasoline engine lineup of two V8s and a V10 in the E-Series to offering customers a standard 3.7-liter V6, the same 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine proven in Ford F-150 and an all-new 3.2-liter Power Stroke® Diesel option."
Cargo room for the vehicle has a range from almost 250 to 500 cubic feet, or 80 percent bigger than the biggest E-Series model ever produced. The jumbo Transit van could tow the volume of two current models according to Ford.
The Transit also features an improved interior setup, which includes a 6.5-inch touch screen system with navigation and SNYC with MYFord Touch according to Ford. The infotainment system is set up to help drivers commute safer than ever with voice command features like placing phone calls, looking up directions, or finding music to listen to.
In 2013, Ford is planning on producing eight different vehicles with a 40 mpg rating or higher, which would double the 2011 total and would be higher than any other automaker according to the release. Ford annually beats rival Toyota in fuel economy in almost every segment.
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