Ford Transit production began in Uruguay in September 2021 at a new plant built in partnership with Nordex, marking The Blue Oval’s return to that market following a 35-year absence. Ford Commercial Vehicle Services subsequently launched in Brazil at the same time, giving fleet customers in the South American country a full suite of products and services to choose from. Now, just a year later, the Ford Transit has already reached an important milestone in Brazil as the automaker has sold 1,000 units of its full-size van in that country.
“We are receiving a good response from Transit customers, especially from large fleet owners, who are proving in practice their competitive advantages in terms of efficiency and total cost of operation,” said Guillermo Lastra, director of Commercial Vehicles at Ford South America. “Connectivity is an important differential of Transit. It allows the administrator to have real-time information about the conditions, history, and performance of each vehicle, which speeds up the services and facilitates the control of the business.”
Of the 1,000 Ford Transit vans sold in Brazil since its launch there, a group of 89 units were delivered to the Government of Espírito Santo, which are being used by the State Department of Health to serve the public by transporting patents from their homes to facilities where they can receive medical care in the 78 municipalities of Espírito Santo, including consultations, exams, and treatments for chronic diseases, such as hemodialysis and chemotherapy.
To tailor it specifically for the South American market, the Transit underwent extensive testing at the Ford Product Development Center in Bahia and at the Tatuí Proving Ground in São Paulo. Ford conducted 20,000 hours of engineering work and covered one million kilometers across numerous performance, validation, and durability tests to ensure the Transit is capable of handling the unique conditions present in Brazil and other South American countries.
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