Ford, Venari Group Announce Strategic Alliance Building New Lightweight Transit Ambulance

July 5, 2021 12:06 pm

Back in February, Ford revealed a new, lightweight Transit ambulance for the UK market developed in conjunction with industry experts and front-line medical teams under the code name Project Siren. The new, lightweight Ford Transit ambulance was designed to help the automaker re-establish its presence in the UK ambulance market. Now, Ford has taken one more step toward that goal by announcing that it has signed a memorandum of understanding for a new strategic alliance with Venari Group, the UK’s largest emergency service vehicle provider.

“We’re delighted to be making this important announcement today,” said Paul Baynes, manager, marketing and sales, Ford Pro Vehicle Solutions, Ford of Europe. “The Ford Venari Alliance builds on Ford’s plans to re-establish its presence in the UK ambulance market by working with the U.K.’s leading ambulance builder, and supports our wider ambition of growing Ford’s market presence through strategic alliances with key vehicle converters.”

The new Transit ambulance will be built at an existing, non-production location near the Ford Dagenham Engine Plant beginning in 2022 following a renovation. Ford expects to add around 100 new jobs as a result. The new vehicle’s lightweight design is fully compliant with the Lord Carter Report, offering all the equipment and capability of a front-line ambulance within a 3.5-ton gross vehicle weight, giving fleets a future-proof option to transition to a zero-emissions lineup in the future.

“Following the truly incredible engineering achievements displayed by Ford at the Dagenham facility during the Ventilator Challenge UK project, the next chapter for Dagenham provides a continuation in production of life-saving machines, with our next-generation ambulance,” said Oliver North, Venari Group CEO. “The Ford Venari alliance will drive efficiency in production of the Transit-based front-line ambulance, whilst essentially creating new jobs.”

We’ll have more on Project Siren soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Transit news and ongoing Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.