Ford Talks Electrification, Reveals Sales Stats at Work Truck Show
Blue Oval announces that F-650 & F-750 recently had best sales in a decade, and Ford Transit was best-selling van in 2016.
Not just the toughest, but also the most dependable. And, thanks to the introduction of new technology, the smartest, too. In front of the media and strategic partners of commercial truck divisions, Ford held a press conference earlier this week at “The Work Truck Show” in Indianapolis, Indiana. There, it covered several 2016 commercial vehicle highlights and shared details on upcoming products.
One of Ford’s Marketing G.M.s, John Ruppert, kicked off the conference by sharing some interesting sales statistics. For example, the Blue Oval sold a total of 405,983 commercial vehicles in 2016 and currently has a 45.6% share of the commercial-vehicle pie. When it comes to Super Duty chassis cabs, 68,262 units were sold, and Ford devours 57% of the segment. Any way you look at things, Ford is without a doubt the authority in commercial vehicles in the United States.
Also, Ruppert reminded everyone that Ford is by no means new to the work-truck scene. In fact, across the work truck industry, Ford has had the top-selling truck division for 31 years, the best-selling line of commercial vehicles for 32 years, and has led the commercial van industry for a whopping 38 years. Of course, this is in addition to the F-Series being America’s best-selling truck for 40 years straight.
Granted, it’s important to learn about Ford’s past and the present. But what buyers of light- and medium-duty trucks really want to know is, what’s next? In an industry where regulations are everything, consumers want to know if their sizable investments will be “future-proof.” Ford has one answer: electrification.
Ford has partnered with key companies that will function as eQVM, or eQualified Vehicle Modifier. The eQVM program kicks off with three developers: XL Hybrids, Motiv Power Systems and Lightning Hybrids. These companies offer electrification or hydraulic hybrid solutions for a range of Ford vehicles popular with fleet and commercial customers. These include the F-150, F-250 to F-550 Super Duty, F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks, Transit and E-Series vans and chassis trucks.
The Blue Oval wrapped up the press conference by announcing that the Ford F-650 and F-750 have had the best sales since 1997, and claiming that the Ford Transit was the best-selling van in America in 2016. Furthermore, the Work Truck magazine named the Ford F-650 and F-750 their “2017 Medium-Duty Truck of the Year” for second consecutive year.