Ford Pro & Fleet: Transporters Becoming More Important

Ford Germany reported strong numbers for the commercial vehicle sector during a fleet event at its Cologne headquarters in Niehl, while the passenger car division continues to face setbacks following the delayed launch of the important BEV model Explorer. After the discontinuation of once significant volume models like Fiesta, Mondeo, and S-Max/Galaxy, the market share stands at around four percent. Consequently, the focus is shifting more towards the Ford Pro division, with commercial vehicles even surpassing passenger car sales at times. To support this trend, the sales network will be expanded: Starting next year, every dealer will be required to have at least one location with a so-called Ford Transit Center, where dedicated commercial vehicles will be sold and serviced, as announced by Claudia Vogt, Director of Ford Pro in the DACH region.

Recently, the brand’s Pro division has shown growth in both Europe and Germany: As Europe’s number one van manufacturer, they have their sights set on the 15 percent mark, and in Germany, their current 14.5 percent market share is increasingly closing the gap to the leaders Mercedes-Benz Vans and the Ford cooperation partner Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Besides the core market in the UK, where they are clearly the market leader with nearly one-third of sales, the German market, according to Ford Pro Chief, still holds potential for new customers.

Modern Portfolio of Transporters

They aim to capture this potential with a modern lineup of vehicles, which recently included a larger battery version of the E-Transit with a capacity of 89 kWh. According to Vogt, although very few customers actually need a range of over 400 kilometers, the option is highly demanded and psychologically important. The standard variant with 68 kWh and 317 kilometers in the WLTP is sufficient for most demands, said the Ford Pro leader. The large battery is also intended to provide the necessary reserves for energy-intensive applications like electric refrigerated vehicles.

E-Switch-Assist: Ready for BEV yet?

New in the diverse EV service portfolio ranging from affordable financing, leasing, charging infrastructure and service, tiered telematics as needed, Fleet Care center and preventive maintenance Ford Liive is also a so-called "E-Switch-Assist", which can use real-time data to determine whether and to what extent E-vehicles can already be deployed in the existing fleet. In this context, Vogt noted that many customers were unsettled by the political debates about phasing out combustion engines by 2035. This is not conducive to a rapid transition.

Mobile Service Vans in action

In the meantime, there are also 89 mobile service vans in operation, which are operated by dealers and centrally managed and can handle 80 percent of all maintenance services on-site at the customer’s location, as Claudia Vogt describes. In terms of conversion solutions, they also want to expand further and implement individual needs in the dual-invoice procedure in addition to standard ex-works conversions in the single-invoice business, also potentially with a mobile team that comes to the customer. With the growing market share, they also want to develop financial power and have a "volume lever" to support further investments, such as in entirely new models like the Transit Courier, which as a Tourneo is also intended to cater to some S-Max/Galaxy customers.

The new Transit Connect, in turn, will be realized with the cooperation partner Volkswagen, to whom they will deliver the Ford Transit Custom, International Van of the Year 2024, as the basis for the next VW Transporter, thus ensuring scaling. The pick-up Ranger, the current "International Pick-up of the Year 2024", is also enjoying increasing popularity and serves as the basis for the VW Amarok.

Practical Solutions: Foldable Steering Wheel and Multicab

Right from the start, the commercial vehicles are supposed to score points with practical solutions that have been developed together with customers, as Vogt further explains. These include, for example, the foldable multifunction steering wheel that can be transformed into a round table, aiming to make the Ford Transit Custom a "cab as office." Additionally, the "Delivery" functionality, where routines can be accessed at the push of a button, aims to save time for delivery services and increase comfort. For the Courier, a crew cab with a swiveling grate partition and a multicab version of the Custom with an L-shaped partition and up to five seats have also been announced.