E13.7m light van order
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AUSTIN ROVER and Ford have won major fleet orders totalling over £23m to supply car-derived vans to British Telecom and the Post Office.
Telecom has bought 3,000 Austin Maestro City 500 vans fitted with the 46kW (62hp) derated version of the standard 1,300cc Maestro petrol engine. The order is worth £13.7m at showroom prices and is believed to be the largest light van order placed in the UK. Delivery will begin shortly with completion due in early 1986.
Ford is to supply 2,000 Escort 35 vans fitted with the 1.6-litre indirect-injection diesel engine to the PO. The order is worth 9.6m and follows the successful evaluation of 100 diesel Escorts supplied to the PO last year as part of an order for 1,100 Ford light vans.
The Escort vans will be used on mail collection and delivery and will be built at Ford's Hailwood plant. Delivery is due to start this month.
The Telecom order will boost Austin Rover's flagging light van market share which fell last year from over 29 per cent to 22.3 per cent following the phasing out of the ltal van and delays with the new Maestro van models.
There is further opportunity within the Telecom contract for Austin Rover to supply up to 1,500 additional vans which would take the total order value to over £20m.
The PO order for the diesel Escort vans, confirms its policy of switching over to dieselpowered vehicles in its carderived van fleet.