Ford Motor Co. (F) has started production of the new 2015 Ford Transit van at the Kansas City Assembly Plant. The new version of Transit, which was first introduced in Europe in 1965, will be available from summer.
The new Ford Transit will be available in three body lengths, two wheelbases on van and wagon and three roof heights; in van, wagon, chassis cab and cutaway body styles; and in XL and XLT trim levels. It will offer more choices than any other Ford commercial van vehicle.
Moreover, the 2015 Ford Transit comes with a standard 3.7-liter V6 engine, but offers the option of Ford F-150’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine or a 3.2-liter Power Stroke diesel engine. Each engine comes with a six-speed automatic transmission for efficient rear-wheel-drive operation.
The current version of Ford Transit is available in 118 markets in six continents. The van holds the distinction of being the best-selling commercial van in the U.K. for 49 years. It will replace the E-Series vans in the U.S. E-Series, America’s best-selling van for 35 years, will be sold only till the end of the year. However, the E-Series cutaway and stripped chassis will be built and sold almost till 2020.
Ford hired 2,000 new employees and invested $1.1 billion to retool the plant to support production of the new Transit vans and the new Ford F-150. With this, it has achieved 75% of its goal of creating 12,000 hourly jobs in the U.S. by 2015. The company is planning to hire a total of 5,000 new hourly and salaried employees in the U.S. this year.
Ford is trying to enhance its position in the commercial vehicle business. The automaker will start two new manufacturing facilities in Asia Pacific and one in South America this year.
Ford is planning to revamp all trucks and vans in the Ford Commercial Truck lineup over the next 18 months. The automaker has massive expansion plans for 2014 as it intends to launch 23 new models during the year.
Ford currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked automobile stocks worth considering are Fox Factory Holding Corp (FOXF), PACCAR Inc. (PCAR) and Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG). All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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