- Versatility and adaptability are key to the longevity of cargo vans, and it's Ford Transit's mastery of both that continues to keep it at the pinnacle of its segment.
When storage and moving enterprise The Box was identified as a Dubai SME 100 company, it was given the scope to grow the business, and to become a world-class enterprise. To reach its potential, The Box would require a vehicle that can adapt to the needs of its customers; that's where the dependable Transit comes in.
During its development, the Transit Custom was subjected to Ford's most comprehensive ever vehicle testing process; durability tests that simulate ten extremely punishing years of ownership in just six months. More than 150 professional test drivers, plus customer fleet drivers and Ford engineers, cover the equivalent of five million kilometres through test conditions including corrosive salt- and mud-baths and temperatures ranging from 40° C to -40° C. It's that kind of dependability that The Box required of its fleet, and was one of the reasons the company chose the Ford Transit Custom.
In its 10 years of operations, The Box has grown across four cities in three different countries, serving more than 30 facilities, and has welcomed more than 50,000 customers. Planning, packing and storing, The Box prides itself on enabling businesses and homes to choose from a variety of individual lockable storage units to comprehensive moving solutions – be it local or across continents – that require the perfect courier vehicle.
'Every move is unique, so it helps to have a practical and reliable vehicle that's as versatile as the Ford Transit', said Wadih Haddad, Founder and CEO, The Box. 'Those key attributes, added to an exceptional load space and reassuring maximum five-star safety rating make Transit an ideal fit for The Box.'
Mahendra Menon, Commercial Vehicle Manager, Ford Middle East and Africa, added: 'Ford Transit Custom continues to gain popularity among SMEs in the region, thanks in part to its adaptability regardless of the varying needs of a growing business. Both upcoming and established small to medium-sized enterprises are looking for a fleet of vehicles that are extremely versatile, reliable and dependable - and that offer the best flexibility when it comes to fit-out. That's precisely what you get with the Ford Transit.'
With expert knowledge of commercial vehicles and their applications, the Ford Transit is specially designed for customisation to meet the unique commercial needs of its owners. The Transit Custom is perfected suited for conversion into a mobile workshop, ambulance, delivery van, and can also be fitted with chiller units for transporting perishable items.
The Transit Legacy
The Ford Transit is one of the most iconic cargo vans in the world. The first Transit left the production line in Langley, England on August 9, 1965, and it has been in production ever since. Globally, a customer buys a new Transit model every 180 seconds on average – based on Ford sales and production data.
Ford has built more than eight million Transit vehicles to date, as the range grew from a single model more than half a century ago to an entire family of commercial cargo vehicles.
In the Middle East, Transit is available with two power options from its advanced and fuel-efficient 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine which produces 100 hp and 310 Nm of torque, or 125 hp and 350 Nm of torque.
The Transit Custom is available in short- and long-wheelbase, and standard roof variants providing between 6.0- and 6.8-cubic metres of load volume. The bulkhead has a load-through facility for longer loads to slide under the front passenger seat, allowing items up to 3,000 mm in length to be transported.
All Transit Customs have an easy-clean load floor liner with tie-down rings in the floor and the lower walls. In the cab, front passenger seat cushions can be flipped up to reveal a hidden storage compartment that will easily accommodate a laptop or small toolbox, providing an added dimension to Transit's practicality, and an added element of security.
The Transit Custom became the first ever commercial vehicle to be awarded a maximum five-star Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) safety rating, setting the standard to which competitor panel vans have aspired to in recent years.
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