Long_for_the_road
Chandler, AZ
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Comment on Transit Van in BOLD below
I hope they're not confusing the Transit Connect (announced earlier) with the Transit. But they speak of it as a new development, that would go into the plant that makes the E-series vans.
Shane
Ford article from MSNBC
Ford, union to discuss shift from trucks to cars
Some labor officials are hoping for news of new products from automaker
updated 4:10 a.m. MT, Thurs., June. 12, 2008
DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. plant managers and union representatives from across the country will gather Friday to discuss the company's business plans, including how it will deal with the U.S. market's rapid shift from trucks to cars.
Some union officials are hoping for news of new products for their plants or the possibility of quickly retooling truck factories so they can make more fuel-efficient cars.
Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski said the meeting is intended to bring union leaders up to date on Ford's business challenges. It will be led by Ford's global manufacturing chief Joe Hinrichs, vice president of labor affairs Marty Mulloy and vice president of global quality Bennie Fowler.
Ford announced in May that it will increase production of cars and crossovers through additional shifts and overtime and the realignment of some of its manufacturing capacity. The company also said it plans to accelerate the North American introduction of some of its small cars from Europe and South America, although it didn't reveal which vehicles.
The Detroit News reported Wednesday that Ford has plans to retool entire truck plants to make cars to handle the U.S. market shift.
Ford's President of the Americas Mark Fields said Wednesday he would not talk about future product programs.
"Clearly, as we look at our plans going forward we're going to have to make sure that we have manufacturing facilities that are able to deliver the products that customers want. So as we go along, if we have to retool plants we will," Fields said during conference on plug-in hybrids in Washington.
A person familiar with Ford's production said last week the company plans to build its Transit European commercial van in the U.S. That change could be detailed at the meeting, to be held in downtown Detroit.
At Ford's full-size van factory in Avon Lake, Ohio, near Cleveland, United Auto Workers Local 2000 President Tim Donovan said there have been rumors that the plant will get the Transit.
The factory, which employs 2,300 hourly workers making Econoline vans, was granted a new product during the national UAW contract talks with Ford last year, Donovan said. But Ford has not said what the product will be, he said.
Ford already is trying to figure out how to expand production at its assembly plant in Wayne, Mich., which makes the Focus small car. The company sold more than 32,000 Focuses in May. If demand continues at that level, it would be above the 235,000-vehicle annual capacity of the Wayne factory, the lone plant that makes them.
Ford plans to bring in 250-300 workers to add a shift to the plant's body shop so it operates 24 hours per day, said another person familiar with the company's production plans. Both people requested anonymity because the plans have not been made public.
The plant's assembly lines are operating on two shifts. Kozleski would not say if the company will add a production shift, nor would she comment on the body shop.
"We're examining the business needs and have made no final determination yet," she said.
The workers would come from pools of laid-off workers at other Ford plants, and from the work force in a holding company set up to sell or close several former Visteon Corp. plants.
Hinrichs said in May the company is studying the possibility of moving workers from truck plants to the Focus factory, as well as increasing assembly line speeds and adding shifts in order to raise production.
'99 Ford Extended van (converted)
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gerrym51
massachusettes
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Lets hope it is the transit and not the transit connect.
gerry
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Atlee
Mechanicsville, VA
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gerrym51 wrote:Lets hope it is the transit and not the transit connect. gerry
Agree. Ford has done some stupid things in the past decade and 1/2. Including the buying of Land Rover and Jaguar, which they recently sold and took a financial bath on.
Another has been the refusal to bring the full sized transit over. Instead they continued to put out the Econoline dinosaur.
Erroll, Mary, Duffy the Wonder Doxie & "Ollie"
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Huck BB62
Alaska
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Search for Top Gear Ford Transit on youtube, it's great entertainment. Clarkson was so PROUD that he lapped the Ring at 10 minutes in a bazillion dollar Jag. A female race car driver did about the same time in the Ford Transit van!!!! She shagged that poor thing hard!
'07 Roadtrek Popular 210
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Long_for_the_road
Chandler, AZ
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Another article
Shane
Another article relating to Transit
Ford to retool truck plants to build cars
Costly move is prompted by consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
Ford Motor Co., long dependent on profits from pickups and sport utility vehicles, is assembling a plan to shift entire truck plants to car production in a bid to keep up with changing consumer demand in the United States, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.
Plant managers and local union leaders from around the country have been summoned to Ford's Dearborn headquarters Friday.
They'll discuss the challenges facing the automaker and the broader U.S. automobile industry as the price of gasoline continues to set record highs and consumers flee pickups and big SUVs for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
In what would be one of the most dramatic manufacturing transformations in Detroit's history, Ford would retool some of its North American plants to produce vehicles being built in Europe, where it is a leader in the small-car segment. Ford also is conducting a thorough review of its entire product pipeline in North America, hoping to accelerate the introduction of new, more fuel-efficient cars and to build more vehicles on fewer platforms.
"The best place to look is Europe," CEO Alan Mulally said recently, acknowledging that it would be too costly for Ford to import cars from across the Atlantic because of unfavorable exchange rates. "We can tailor the production to where we sell them."
Details of the plan are expected to be announced in July. They will likely include major moves like converting Ford's Avon Lake, Ohio, assembly plant from production of the older E-series van to the more modern and fuel-efficient Transit van Ford builds in Europe. But sources familiar with the situation say the company will not reveal the full scope of its manufacturing realignment for several months.
It goes on, but that was the part about the Transit
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mumkin
Minot ND USA
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And still not clear on which transit... of course, they may not yet have decided for sure.
Mumkin
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ranger01
Winnipeg
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Didn't read far enough. The Transit van was one that impressed me over there and watching the many Transit diesel vans going by I thought, "Man you could make a great B out of one of those." They seem to come in many configs from very low roof, flat looking things, up to almost Spinter like heights.
ranger
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tatest
Oklahoma
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There are a number of different Ford van models manufactured and sold in Europe, Asia and Australia under the name "Transit." They range in size from subcompact to step van, with gas and diesel engines ranging from 1.1 to 4 liters (depending on market, Australia gets the bigger ones).
The most likely Transit to replace the Econoline would probably be one closest in size to the Econoline, but it would come out more like a Sprinter. In Europe, this size will typically have 1.6 to 2.0 diesels in the 60-90 HP range, somewhat small for North American driving conditions where acceleration is wanted in the city, and everyone wants to drive 70-85 mph on the highway.
My bet on a powerplant would be one of the new small diesels Ford is developing here for the F-series, rather than something in production currently for markets where trucks this size are restricted to speeds of 80 kph or less.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B
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gerrym51
massachusettes
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I think if the transit van comes here it will be a gas engine.
unlike europe americans not enamored with diesel.(even if somewhat
better mileage).
gerry
In england there is gas engine option. here i think
it will be standard
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Long_for_the_road
Chandler, AZ
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Mumkin wrote:And still not clear on which transit... of course, they may not yet have decided for sure
Agreed.
I was just happy there was some cause for hope. The "Sprinter-like" version of the Transit is available as a front-wheel-driver, or rear-wheel-drive. The FWD, has a lowered cargo floor - which would be wonderful for what I use a van/class B for. Obviously, not as good for towing - but I don't need/use that. With the right engine and tranny (small diesel and maybe a dual clutch manual) this thing might get 30 mpg if driven modestly. That would make long trips more affordable.
I think one of the articles said there would more details later in the summer.
Shane
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