Ford’s Transit Custom is proving its worth to a host of small businesses in the emirates, not least The Box – the storage and moving company named a Dubai SME 100 or top performing small to medium enterprise, in 2016.
In the Middle East, the Ford Transit is equipped with a fuel-efficient 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine and two power options: 100hp and 310Nm of torque, or 125hp and 350Nm of torque.
The Transit Custom chassis is meanwhile available with a range of wheelbases, and between 6.0m3 and 6.8m3 of volume, and has a bulkhead with a load-through facility to allow longer loads to slide under the front passenger seat – allowing items up to 3,000mm in length to be transported.
This flexibility that this provides in terms of operations has made the Transit Custom the number one choice for The Box, which joins a long list of companies – from government entities to small- and medium-sized enterprises – to put their faith in the Ford Transit’s versatility.
“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.”
Over its 10 years of operations, The Box has grown across four cities in three different countries and more than 30 facilities, and served more than 50,000 customers.
From Ford’s side, the Transit Custom was subjected to the auto maker’s most comprehensive vehicle testing process to date, including durability tests that simulate ten extremely punishing years of ownership in just six months.
More than 150 professional test drivers, as well as customer fleet drivers and Ford engineers, covered the equivalent of five million kilometres through test conditions including corrosive salt- and mud-baths and temperatures ranging from 40°C to -40°C.
Mahendra Menon, commercial vehicle manager for 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.”
Ford has built more than eight million Transit vehicles since the first unit left the production line in Langley, England in 1965. Today, the range has grown into an entire family of commercial cargo vehicles, and a customer buys a Transit an average of every 180 seconds.
