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Ford tackles van market head on
Page 14
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• Ford is aiming to tighten its stranglehold on the British light commercial vehicle market with a rolling programme of improvements to its Fiesta, Escort and Transit vans into 1991.
From the beginning of October the current Fiesta van will gain a revised interior based on the latest hatchback changes.
The latest Escort van (CM 23-29 August), with its streamlined, purpose-built body, will also go on sale on 22 November.
By next summer, however. Ford is also planning to introduce a high-roof version of the Fiesta van, and by the back end of 1991 it will have made "major changes" to the Transit with single rear wheels fitted as standard on all LCY models in place of the current twin rear wheel set-up.
The move will provide a greater payload but more significantly a bigger load volume. With the use of single wheels the Transit will gain a new floor pan.
Twin rear wheels will, however, remain an option on chassis cabs.
It looks like the revisions to the Transit in 1991 will also include the adoption of a turbocharged version of the existing 2.5-litre direct-injection diesel in place of the current naturally-aspirated engine. The turbo unit is likely to push out over 60kW (80hp).
However, Ford's new director of vehicle sales operations, Ron Farrall, refutes suggestions that the Transit will be switching to front-wheel-drive: "We're not going to change," he says.
For more details see Show Trends on page 65.