Commercial vans: A new threat to Ford and GM emerges
I cannot think of any vehicle I detest more than those van conversions we endure when riding from hotels to airport terminals. Noisy, bouncy, smelly, crude, uncomfortable in every way and surely unsafe at highway speeds. I hate riding in them and feel a wave of terror mixed with nausea every time I climb aboard one of these monstrosities.
But this sort of van conversion makes money for auto manufacturers – especially Ford and General Motors – and those companies in the conversion business, also.
Full-size commercial vans in general are a big cash generator for Ford and GM in particular. In Canada, the numbers are massive: 49 per cent market share for GM, 43 per cent for Ford. Daimler’s Sprinter van has a paltry 1.0 per cent of the market. A few minor players get the rest.
Ford and GM have done almost nothing to service this market in decades. They’ve let their commercial vans and commercial van platforms get old and outdated and the result is a horribly unpleasant experience for anyone who uses these vehicles – from airport commuters to plumbers, and carpenter, and tradespeople of all sorts and, of course, logistics companies and so on and so forth.
Not surprisingly, rival auto companies smell opportunity. Most recently, the Chrysler Group said it will expand its plant in Saltillo, Mexico, to assemble a Ram-branded version of the Fiat Ducato commercial van for North America. Look for this to arrive in 2013, according to a report in Automotive News.
Late last year, Nissan launched its own all-new commercial van in Canada, the NV ($30,998-$39,668). Like Daimler’s Sprinter, it competes against the Ford E150/250/350 Econoline, Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana, Freightliner Sprinter and even to some extent Ford’s Transit Connect.
The NV may not be pretty, but it is exceedingly functional, decently powerful AND fuel efficient, quite comfortable and hugely flexible. You want a delivery van? No problem. A spacious mobile workplace? Sure thing. Versions are sold with more than six-feet of headroom. Camper van conversion? Completely possible. Airport transporter? Of course.
Used Freightliner Truck Car Insurance - News
After years of waiting and changing their lifestyles to adapt to a "new normal,” many workers laid off from Freightliner Trucks in 2009 will now have a chance to return to the Rowan County plant. Daimler Trucks North America announced plans to
But this sort of van conversion makes money for auto manufacturers – especially Ford and General Motors – and those companies in the conversion business, also. Full-size commercial vans in general are a big cash generator for Ford and GM in particular.
With Hight working his day job as President of JFR, the company also signed new partnership agreements with Freightliner Trucks and Flow International along with a sponsorship extension with the Auto Club of Southern California, which has served as the
Bucket Trucks – Comparing Ford, Freightliner, GMC, and ...
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Essentially, bucket trucks are commercial work trucks that feature an open top platform that is contained on all four sides. A lift that is attached to the end of a hydraulic arm carry workers around the platform to perform various tasks at heights off of the ground. It can be maneuvered around and raised to the certain levels that a given task requires.