Ford Transit to Get Diesel for U.S.
Ford just announced it will offer a new (for North America) diesel engine in the coming 2013 Transit. This news comes on the heels of Ford's earlier announcement that the full-size van will get the popular 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine.
Exact power outputs for the EcoBoost in the Transit have not been released, but Ford says the new van will offer at least 25 percent better fuel economy (in all configurations) than the E-Series van it replaces, weighing as much as 300 pounds less as well.
The turbo-diesel engine Ford is talking about is most likely the DuraTorq common-rail direct-injection 3.2-liter inline-five offered in the new global Ford Ranger. Although no specific details were released, that engine would make the most sense, and it would be a great way to get a proven small-diesel into the U.S. market. In the Ranger, power ratings are about 200 horsepower and 350 pounds-feet of torque, certainly more than adequate for a work-duty cargo or passenger van of this size.
“With fleet operators facing skyrocketing fuel prices and constant pressure to reduce costs, Ford continues to expand its range,” said Kevin Koswick, Ford's director of North American fleet, lease and remarketing operations. “By offering multiple options to help solve these challenges, Ford is giving fleet customers true power of choice in finding solutions that best meet their specific needs.”
Speaking to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit today, Koswick said Ford is committed providing customers a range of options to reduce their operating costs through a lineup of industry-leading fuel-efficient engines and alternative-fuel technologies. Just some of Ford's offerings include EcoBoost engines, hybrid technology, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric vehicles and biodiesel and CNG/LPG fuels.
Koswick also announced the availability of a new software program for fleet managers that allows them to consider many different environmental and cost-of-ownership issues when making their fleet vehicle choices. Called the Vehicle Emissions and Fuel Cost Calculator, the system generates info about a fleet's efficiency using vehicle data, fuel type and traffic conditions (stop-and-go city traffic or on the highway, for instance), along with the geographic region in which the car will be used. The idea is that different businesses will need different solutions to provide the most efficient, responsible and cost-effective way to make their fleets work harder.
The new Transit, which is expected to be a 2013 model, will be built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant alongside a limited run of various models (mostly chassis cabs) of the outgoing E-Series vans. Ford says the E-Series will be built through the end of the decade.
We'll have more on the Transit as it gets closer to its on-sale date later this year.
Comments
It will be interesting to see how well these diesels sell in this van. It seems like the ecoboost it going to be the performance motor if they use the diesel in the article. I wonder how much more it will be then the ecoboost I already think I'd take the ecoboost because better power and that diesel with emissions equipment on it may not get much better fuel economy at least to justify the price and power hit. Will see should be interesting.
Does this possibly pave the way for diesel in the F150? or maybe a smaller 2015 F100/Ranger varient based off the same platform? If they go to the trouble to certify the engine for emissions, it only makes sense to offer that powertrain in as many things as possible to recoupe that cost. 2014 seems to be a key year for ford in their product changes, one could only hope. I would pay big dollars for a mid sized diesel pickup.
No surprises here.
The competition offers diesel vans and also that's a big one, not the small euro engines that many of really want to see in midsize trucks for better mpg.
Good, also offer the CNG version. Natgas is very cheap and many companies are looking to move to that CNG.
My 15 passenger van with a V10 weighs 6300 pounds empty. Cutting 300 pounds off of that is not impressive, especially if they give up the frame to do it. While most applications will be OK with the new vehicle, I use mine for trailer towing. I don't see anything that indicates that the Transit will be good for that purpose or even for carrying 10 or more people. I am not sure that it will be much more than a slightly larger minivan.
I hope that they at least incorporate some of the finishing touches from minivans into this vehicle. I have often wished that my van had more storage, cup holders and other amenities for the folks in the back.
Didn't see that coming. Looked to me as though Ford was 100% committed to turbo gassers. This is good news. I bet the Ranger is coming.
Most diesels currently in the luxury Euro SUV's available in NA are V6 around 3-4 litres and carry roughly a 3,500 dollar price premium. Those engines do have more power than this engine. If it was priced in the 3,000 range it probably would have a decent take rate. The thing that is unclear to me - is the EB 3.5 going to be the base engine in the Transit van? and this the upgrade?
Is this story approved by Ford PR?
or will it get pulled like the "Big Changes not in 150's future Ford Analyst Says".
We wouldn't want to make Ford look bad....
Ford has four diesel engines in Europe that are offered in Transits and Rangers. 2.2, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.2L. I think any of them would work just fine in US
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=36266
Mike Levine @mrlevine
The Ford Transit to be built in N. America will look significantly different from the new light-duty Tourneo Custom: http://twitpic.com/923bt5
http://twitter.com/#!/mrlevine
Mike Levine @mrlevine
RT @FordTrucks: Via @PickupTrucks Ford Transit to Get Diesel for U.S. - http://PickupTrucks.com News http://bit.ly/GVI43q ^ML
@Dave,
I'd say that makes it official.
@Walt- you can go to an english language site now and compare specs with your E350. With the Ecoboost, there's no reason the Transit shouldn't pull at least 8000#. If you need more, perhaps you'd better hold on to the van you have. Carrying passengers is already a strong suit of the Transit.
@Chris- lets hope so. Or, perhaps, they could even sell it in the F250 Superduty. Many of those trucks cover a lot of distance just carrying heavy utility bodies. The 3.2 Duratorq is plenty for that.If they pay to federalize any engine, they'll want to use it as much as possible to spread the cost.
@Lou- Commercial applications tend to get de-tuned a bit from pass-car. Look at the specs for the OM642 in the Sprinter vs cars. Cost of the engine stays the same.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM642_engine
Most likely the 3.7 NAV6 will be the base engine, mostly for cost. I suppose Ford could decide to surprise us with a 2L Ecoboost. Price will be key, but I would bet some large fleet operators, like FedEx or UPS requested a diesel option if they would consider buying the vans.
@Gregory J. Offering the European engines might herald the end of the "Chicken tax". I notice ,magically, there is no problem having the European engines meet US tier standards
Still I wonder what the proposed T450/T550 Vans are going to be? I can see the 2.2 diesel going into the T150 and the 3.2 the T250.
@MrKnowitall UPS Which operated here uses Japanese Vans in Australia. One of the greatest ironies is UPS is trying to buy TNT in Europe. TNT was originally Thomas National Transport in Australia, was bought by the late Peter Abeles, who made it a large European /Australian operation. When he died it was sold to a Swiss Company.
UPS In Australia
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3027/2964875668_3997bb1d76.jpg.
Peter Abeles and TNT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Abeles
"In 1967, Alltrans merged with Thomas Nationwide Transport, and the combined companies became TNT Ltd.. Under Abeles' guidance as managing director, TNT quickly expanded, and by the 1980s had established a presence in 180 countries and was termed "the second biggest transport empire in the world, operating by road, rail, sea and air".
Could it also be the 4.4L diesel Ford was showing off a while back? I figure they might like to use that engine in something, considering all the money they spent developing it.
Either way, nice to see a return of the diesel Ford van with something other than the horrible 6.0L they were offering for a while. We've got a fleet of 7.3L vans that have been excellent, but are definitely in need of replacement.
I really don't understand why some would think that the diesel would be more expensive that the ecoboast... Price the F150 with the ecoboast, and you will find out that it has a $2400.00 price tag... I would suspect that the diesel may be less expensive, and have more low end torque...
Time will tell... If they put the diesel in the F150, I might consider buying one...
@paul810 Very much doubt it. They are using the 4.4 for the Land Rover(untill they develop their own engine, they are in the process of building a range of engines)
The Ford 4.4 TD is a diesel engine developed and built by Ford Motor Company. While in development, the 4.4 TD was rumored to be for use in the Ford F-150, Ford Expedition, and as an entry level diesel option for the Super Duty. No such option ever became available with Ford citing the reason as being a low demand for a vehicle with a $6000–$8000 premium over its gasoline models. Current application of the 4.4L TD engine is the Land Rover Range Rover.
@Danny they make very few 4.4 engines but a lot of the 2.2, and 3.2 engines. The premiums for these will be a lot lower.
Think Ford will use the 6.7 Diesel...just hope they have the 5.0 Gas V8..
Finally! A small diesel which can and probably will be used in many different vehicles. Awesome MPG with tons of torque...Bring me my Ranger replacement already!
@Robert Ryan, Just like you repeatedly said these vans would not produced in Missouri, but people said they would. You insisted they wouldn't. In fact they are being produced in Misouri. I will wait to get my infro directly from Ford or pickuptrucks.com. Thank you.
@Charles
I very much doubt we'll see either the 6.7L or 5.0L in the Transit.
The 6.7L is a physically very large and heavy engine. It wouldn't fit in the E-series and that was designed with larger/heavier engines in mind than the Transit. With Ford's focus on fuel economy it's definitely going to be a smaller diesel, most likely in the 3.0L range like the Sprinters. Though, I could see them going with the 4.4L and splitting the difference between the Sprinter's 3.0L and the GM vans 6.6L.
The 5.0L would probably fit and might get offered as a base engine, but I really doubt it. More than likely they'll stick with the 3.7L v6 as the base engine in low GVWR vans and use the 3.5L Ecoboost for everything else.
The PSA 3.0 V6 diesel would be good for the US market. I think Americans would find the 2.2 to be underpowered. The 3.2 I-5 may be seen as "adequate." The 4.4 V8 would be the sweet spot.
JUNK!
These new vans are UGLY! I just read that the next generation pickup from Ford is going to follow the same styling as their new vans. You Ford boys have a lot to look forward to. Ford loses again!
@Greg
We don't even know what the new van will look like.
The vans pictured above are the old models, which were only available for overseas markets (and were designed with that in mind).
@Greg,.......And the E-series is sexy???
@Robert Ryan- with european engines engineered for euro 6, the adaptation to T2B5 is much smaller.
@John Cummins- the exhaust after treatment required on a diesel is much more costly than on a gasoline engine.
@MrKnowitall OK that makes sense, but I still think that the engines are at this stage only Euro V.
@Danny, I said not TOTALLY built at Missouri, wait and see, the inclusion of the Euro diesels also suggests that as well..What I would really like to know what a T450/T550 is? That sounds like a US specific development.
@RR, some reports suggest that the van won't be called Transit in the US, but rather "T-series." T-150, T-250 etc sounds logical, but is pure speculation at this point.
@Alex that is much more logical . Trying to call it Transit would confuse it with the Transit Connect Min Van.
@Johnny dose - these vans haven't even hit the assembly line so how can you say they are junk? Transit vans are a huge seller for Ford in the rest of the world. You can't say the same for the Savana and Express vans.
@Greg - ugly? as previously mentioned they haven't started assembly and the US version will be different from the global unit.
Ford loses? No one knows what the new Sierra/Silverado will look like either. The Sierra could look like the Terrain SUV (break out the barf bag), and the Silverado could look like the Equinox SUV. So be careful what you wish for.
@Robert Ryan - I suspect the T450/T550 will be a Transit van cab mated to the F450/550 chassis to make a Transit 'chassis cab" unit to fill the void for large motorhomes, medium duty delivery vans, rescue, and ambulance units etc.
Robert, You said it would be built in Turkey and assembled in the US. Stop backtracking. You are worse than oxi.
Ford is already calling it Transit. T150 is Toyota.
@Danny probably maybe, wait and see.. Danny they also have copyrighted T150 to T550 designations as well.
@Danny - Toyota was the T100. The current Transit Connect is built in Turkey shipped to the USA as a passenger van to avoid the chicken tax, then gutted and converted to a cargo van. It would be cheeper for Ford to do the same thing with the larger Transit van. I initially had suspected Ford would do the same with the Transit. I think Robert was just speculating or thinking out loud. No harm, no foul in my books.
This is probably close to what the final van will look like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHpv41me4R0
Detroit Free Press says Kansas is where it will be built.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120327/BUSINESS0102/120327046/Ford-diesel-engine-Transit-full-size-van?odyssey=nav%7Chead
@Robert Ryan - I can see the whole model line falling under the "Transit" nameplate like "Econoline" for the old vans. The small Transit will keep the Connect name, and I can see T150, T250, T350, T450, etc being the class of van. Just like the F150 - F650 designations in the Ford Truck F series group.
Toyota T150:
http://www.velocityjournal.com/pictures/org/28/499.html
T150 was trademarked a dozen years ago and has no connection to this van. Ford has already named it the new Transit on the webiste. T-150 is to close to F-150 and will not be used by Ford. That was one of the reasons Toyota was not allowed to use it beyond their conecpt.
@Nateand @dannyaccording to Autoblog and Car driver articles no.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/05/ford-transit-van-coming-to-america-as-kansas-city-built-t-series/
"
"According to Car and Driver sources, in order to avoid confusion with the smaller Transit Connect, the big van will be badged as a T-Series in this market, with nameplates like T-250, T-450 and T-550 – similar to the F-Series trucks, and more pertinently, the E-Series vans that used to be known as the Econoline."
That's from a year ago. Ford is calling it the new Ford Transit right now in the US. Even if they do use a T-150, name it will still be called Transit in the US. It is ok. You can share.
@Nate otherwise confusion. I hope the T450/and T550 are VERY DIFFERENT to the European model. A stout chassis for a Motorhome with a more powerful engine would go down well here.
Nate,
Ford and Toyota have done that a few times. Another one was the Scion TC was suppose to be called the XC, but Ford said no because of the Volvo XC.
Ford can call it whatever they want. But they call it the Ford Transit in the UK. The UK also sells the Transit Connect along side it. Us North-Americans will not be confused. We are not stupid.
"Fool me once, Shame on you."
We were promised a diesel 1/2 ton 'F150' back in 2004?-2006? Suppose to be in dealer showrooms by 2008.
Any body get one? Of course not. I'll believe this when is see it, NOT BEFORE!
Ask any judge, intentions count for nothing. Try it on a cop, "gee sir, I was going to stop at the light, but..." ya right, I'd like to know how that goes. 2013 may not be that far away. But it is not here yet. I can already tell you from experience that the 'order book' is no guarantee either, not even with a 10 % deposit. So wait till you see one on the lot you can drive away 'today'. Until then...... yada yada blaa blaa blaa heard it before.
@Dave - Exactly. It is already known what name they are going with and it is Transit. See the Ford press release and related comments from Mike Levine, Ford Truck Communications Manager. Thank you.
TY,
Ford did not promise a diesel F-150. They planned one and plans changed. Ford is brining a diesel to the new Transit. This has been confirmed.
See the difference:
Diesel and EcoBoost gas turbo direct injection engines are planned for F-150 in 2010 as well.
http://media.ford.com/press_kits_detail.cfm?presskit_id=1687&item_id=5251&press_section_id=2870
To meet diverse needs in the full-size van segment, Ford has confirmed it will offer an all-new North American diesel engine option for the new Ford Transit cargo and passenger vans when production starts in Kansas City in 2013.
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=36266
Of course, nothing is a given until it happens. But this is the difference between what was said. The diesel F-150 was planned with no confirmation. The diesel Transit has been confirmed.
From the Ford press release:
"Ford has confirmed it will offer an all-new North American diesel engine option"
Keywords: all new, Nort American option.
It will be all new so it won't be one that was used before or currently used, ie Super Duty diesel.
It could be based on another diesel, like the new Ranger, but since it will be an all new North American diesel it will be different.
@Nate and chicken poster (lou is a troll), The T150 name was killed by Ford due to the similarity with F150. The only production Toyota trucks were the T100. (Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm 100% sure you will try) As Dave pointed out, why would people be confused if Ford used the Transit name with the Connect and the full sized unit? or why would people be confused if they used T150 - T650 for cargo class designations like the F150 - F650? If anything it would make things simpler. A guy buying the old Econoline E150 knows it is a 1/2 ton van just like the F150 is a 1/2 ton class pickup. That same logic would apply to the new Transit. A purchaser would have a good idea without looking at the spec sheets that a Transit T150 falls into the 1/2 ton class. It would be a natural progression.
I think Ford should bring a compact truck to NA and call it the F100. Why not go so far as calling it the F100 Connect and have homogeneity accross the "truck" product line.
Hopefully they compete well with the Sprinter diesel vans.
I just hope if we are getting no Ranger, we at least get the Double Cab version of the Ford Transit!
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