At the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis on Tuesday, the Detroit automaker pulled the curtain back on a host of upgrades to its compact commercial van – the third generation in nine years – including new and exclusive driver-assist technologies like Automatic Emergency Braking. Also standard for the coming model year are side wind stabilization, a rearview camera and pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection to help avoid collisions with other vehicles and pedestrians who might cross in front of the vehicle’s path.
Transit Connect Cargo Van, for the 2019 model year, will debut as the only vehicle in its segment to offer such technology as standard equipment across all models. John Rupert, Ford’s general manager of commercial and government operations, says the company has sold 300,000 vans since its 2009 debut and 97 percent of them are still on the road.
Available options for the next model year include a blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert, a lane keeping system and a radar-driven adaptive cruise control. The new Transit Connect also gets a major technology upgrade that allows users to turn their vans into a remote work space.
“Back in 2009, if you wanted to bill a customer, you needed to go back to your office,” says Tim Stoehr, Ford general fleet marketing manager.
“The business now involves your mobile phone and staying connected,” says Adrain Aguirre, chief engineer for Transit Connect. “The mobile phone is the lifeline back to the business.”
Tools like the only standard embedded 4G LTE modem in the segment provide Wi-Fi for up to 10 devices, while an available 6.5-inch floating touch screen running SYNC 3 helps drivers keep their eyes on the road as they field customer calls and text messages hands- free or navigate to job sites.
