coachandequipment Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 What do you guys think about Ford's new 2014 Transit vans coming out this summer? Do you think the big cities like Chicago, New York..etc will transition to these, or will they stick with the E-series vehicles for the next few years? We wrote a few things about the transit on our blog, but we are unsure if the Transit vans will see as much success as Ford has had with the E-series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 What do you guys think about Ford's new 2014 Transit vans coming out this summer? Do you think the big cities like Chicago, New York..etc will transition to these, or will they stick with the E-series vehicles for the next few years? We wrote a few things about the transit on our blog, but we are unsure if the Transit vans will see as much success as Ford has had with the E-series. No transit authority here uses them. There is a slight demand for vans in the Pace Vanpool program, but that's a matter of competitive bidding, The only Fords used is as chassis for an Eldorado National paratransit body. BTW, if this is a commercial in which you have a financial interest, you ought to disclose that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachandequipment Posted May 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Hey thanks for your input! And i promise you this is not a post for commercial interest whatsoever. I am just curious to see how you guys see the industry evolving. I am somewhat new to the industry so hearing others viewpoints is something i think is important to help me better understand the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Hey thanks for your input! And i promise you this is not a post for commercial interest whatsoever. I am just curious to see how you guys see the industry evolving. .... If it is just how the industry is evolving, it seems like most of the sellers here are going to the European style high van (Nissan, MB/Freightliner, RAM/Fiat, and Ford). The only transit relevance is what is going to be available for, essentially, the 11 passenger vanpool or the AdVANtage lift equipped vans, in which case I assume that the dealers have to comply with their contracts to Pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twyztdmynd Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 No transit authority here uses them. There is a slight demand for vans in the Pace Vanpool program, but that's a matter of competitive bidding, The only Fords used is as chassis for an Eldorado National paratransit body. BTW, if this is a commercial in which you have a financial interest, you ought to disclose that. Busjack, I think you're right. The blog link and His profile provides a link to this : http://www.coachbussales.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 20, 2014 Report Share Posted May 20, 2014 Busjack, I think you're right. The blog link and His profile provides a link to this : http://www.coachbussales.com/ I sort of figured that, but someone from Penn Yan, NY isn't going to be selling anything here (but might be looking to the Internet for free advertising). There might be a question whether "Transit" is being used in different senses, i.e. public transit or the brand of some Ford vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroShadow Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Considering the Traditional and Metra Vanpool programs use Caravans… …and the issue of the Buy America waiver changes the perception of purchasing… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Considering the Traditional and Metra Vanpool programs use Caravans… …and the issue of the Buy America waiver changes the perception of purchasing… Probably just the elimination of redundant brands, such as that the only small car at your Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealer is the Dodge Dart, midsize car is the Chrysler 200, etc., and it says that the Town and Country will still be manufactured. Pace uses 11 passenger vans for bigger vanpools, which indicates that the ones I mentioned in message #4 might be in play. The Transit is assembled in Kansas City, so if that creates a Buy America problem.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroShadow Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Probably just the elimination of redundant brands, such as that the only small car at your Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealer is the Dodge Dart, midsize car is the Chrysler 200, etc., and it says that the Town and Country will still be manufactured. Pace uses 11 passenger vans for bigger vanpools, which indicates that the ones I mentioned in message #4 might be in play. The Transit is assembled in Kansas City, so if that creates a Buy America problem.... The issue is what to do with the smaller vehicles, especially if the transits themselves pose an issue for some agencies. Pace once had Ventures and Windstars for their fleet (in addition to the Caravans), and if the price is right, might choose transits over Town and Country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 The issue is what to do with the smaller vehicles, especially if the transits themselves pose an issue for some agencies. Pace once had Ventures and Windstars for their fleet (in addition to the Caravans), and if the price is right, might choose transits over Town and Country. Anything goes out for bid on a spec.; on this class of vehicles to car dealers. As what you indicated from the old days, if the spec was for essentially a minivan, there were several domestic companies that could provide it. Now, essentially only Chrysler, Honda and Toyota make minivans, as most of the automotive business has gone over to CUVs. However, if the next spec is essentially for "7 passenger gasoline powered vehicles," probably all three types of vehicles would be eligible for bid. Then you essentially get down to price, and whatever the procurement guidelines are for minority participation and the like. The Nissan NV200 tall van was to be the standard New York taxi, although a Fortune article says that didn't work out. That probably would have been comparable to the Ford Transit Connect, as opposed to the larger Transit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 The Ford Transit 350 is the "Salvation Army Official Vehicle" (from observation). Somebody found a transit seat use for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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