Ford Delays Launch of Global Transit

[Harley Lover]

I didn't recall reading that the Transit (not the Connect) was a go for U.S production. Here's the entire article:

Ford delays launch of new Transit commercial van

 

John Revill

Automotive News

February 5, 2009 - 9:12 am ET | UPDATED: 2/5/09 12:00 p.m. EST

 

 

 

Ford of Europe is cutting 850 jobs in the United Kingdom and delaying the launch of its new Transit commercial vehicle to save cash during the economic crisis.

 

The next-generation Transit is slated to be Ford's first global full-sized commercial van. A version of the Transit, code-named V363, had been planned for North American production beginning in 2011 for the 2012 model year, according to supplier and industry sources.

 

With the new delay, it's now unclear when the European-developed van will arrive in the U.S. market.

 

A Ford source in Dearborn told Automotive News that the delay is a deferment only; the full-sized Transit remains in Ford's North American cycle plan. Global Transit volume had been expected at between 400,000 and 500,000 units annually.

 

The company said it would cut up to 500 jobs at its production plant in Southampton, which builds the current Transit. Another 350 jobs will be lost at Ford's other U.K. sites between now and May.

 

Ford employs 12,900 people in the United Kingdom.

 

The carmaker also will cut about 350 temporary jobs at the Dunton Technical Centre in Essex, where design work is carried out on the new Transit.

 

Ford sold 173,100 Transits in its 19 main European markets last year, down 8,800 from 2007.

 

Ford blamed the economic crisis and falling sales for the job cuts.

 

"As demand across the industry continues to fall, we are facing some immediate and major challenges which require us to take decisive action to reduce all our costs," said John Fleming, Ford of Europe chairman.

 

Ford said it wanted to renegotiate a pay increase agreed with workers last year.

 

"Those companies which act quickly in taking the right decisions will be those who not only survive but who emerge strongest from this deep recession," Fleming said in a statement.

 

Ford workers threatened to strike over the plan.

 

Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of the Unite trade union, said: "These proposals are completely unacceptable and a betrayal of Ford's loyal U.K. workforce."

 

Ford of Europe spokesman Tom Malcolm said the company is discussing cost reductions at its other European sites but had made no decisions.

 

"We cannot say what the outcome of the discussions will be," Malcolm said.

Edited February 5, 2009 by Harley Lover

[blazerdude20]

so with the fullsize transit does this mean the end of the e series? i hope not as the e series has built quite a name here

[battyr]

I am not surprised. There is no rush for the Transit in North America.

 

They either want to spend more time to get it right for the US market, or they have delayed it to save cash.

[jpd80]

OK, we know it's a special version of the Transit, so maybe that version has a lot of E Series features

that will make the E Series equipment suppliers transition much easier.

[Biker16]

OK, we know it's a special version of the Transit, so maybe that version has a lot of E Series features

that will make the E Series equipment suppliers transition much easier.

 

what has always been needed is a v8 in the transit.

[theoldwizard]

I am not surprised. There is no rush for the Transit in North America.

 

They either want to spend more time to get it right for the US market, or they have delayed it to save cash.

Neither am I !

 

The cost of redesigning the Transit in order to meet US safety standards and fitting larger engines (more below) is enormous. So is the cost of tooling a plant for US production (rumored to be assembled alongside E series at Ohio Assembly, but a new stamping plant is required). In the past there were discussion of building the first few model years in EU before production in the US.

 

The Transit sold in EU comes in 3 different wheelbases, 4 different lengths, and available in 2 of 3 different roof heights. Some are FWD, some are AWD and some are RWD. The most powerful engines are the 2.4L turbo diesel (125 hp/210 lb-ft) or a 2.3L DOHC gasoline (145 hp/147 lb-ft). Max payload is less than 3,000 lbs.

 

While this certainly crosses over the E150-E250 specifications, the E350-E450 far exceed this, especially when the 4.4L/6.7L diesel and 6.2L gasoline engines show up.

Edited February 6, 2009 by theoldwizard

[theoldwizard]

what has always been needed is a v8 in the transit.

My bet is, it will never happen. Even fitting an EcoBoost V6 in a Transit will be difficult ! Remember the biggest engine in these things is a 4 cylinder turbo diesel !

[Ford Jellymoulds]

My bet is, it will never happen. Even fitting an EcoBoost V6 in a Transit will be difficult ! Remember the biggest engine in these things is a 4 cylinder turbo diesel !

 

We used to have gasoline Transit Connects which shared the same running gear as the Focus RS but nobody brought them the gasoline models died a death poor torque, high CO2 & poor MPG you can no longer buy a gasoline version here.

 

How will the V6 Ecoboost high CO2 engines fit in with Obama's pro Global Warming world & low C02 plans that he will be imposing on TARP Cash Tarts that will be held to ransom, just interested Old Wizard will he make Fords V6 Ecoboost exempt from global warming legislation or will the engines meet future US legislation just interested old man, as l don't know a lot about ecoboost but V6 sounds a bit of a No No under EU law. It's a funny ole world you get a new broom in charge and everything can change?

Edited February 6, 2009 by Ford Jellymoulds

[theoldwizard]

How will the V6 Ecoboost high CO2 engines fit in with Obama's pro Global Warming world & low C02 plans that he will be imposing on TARP Cash Tarts that will be held to ransom,[

First, Ford has said repeated "No thank you" to fed cash !

 

Second, God created the earth in seven days. Some how, President Obama has not gotten around to courses in thermodynamics and combustion and emission theory.

 

as l don't know a lot about ecoboost but V6 sounds a bit of a No No under EU law.

Well, you will be seeing an EcoBoost 2.0L in the Mondeao very soon. Actually EcoBoost works better in EU, because you allow higher NOx and EcoBoost engines can run leaner than stoichiometry which results in lower CO2.

 

It's a funny ole world you get a new broom in charge and everything can change?

Yeah, it is amazing when politicians start thinking they are scientists and engineers. You get odd results like taking one of the most widely used food product (high fructose corn syrup) and turn it into a low energy content fuel that can not be transported from its source to it destination via the millions of miles of existing petroleum products pipeline. And we have had a Sugar Tax/Embargo ever since the Crown imposed one when we were still just 13 little colonies !

 

Few people know that the federal tax on diesel is actually higher than the federal tax on gasoline in the US. It is just the opposite in almost ever European nation.

Edited February 6, 2009 by theoldwizard

[theoldwizard]

BTW, Jellymoulds, why is there so much open water in that picture ? Around here we have to get out the chainsaws and make a hole is we want to take a swim this time of year !!

[Ford Jellymoulds]

BTW, Jellymoulds, why is there so much open water in that picture ? Around here we have to get out the chainsaws and make a hole is we want to take a swim this time of year !!

 

 

LOL gotta say l am looking forwards to another sub-zero weekend in the UK & its snowing outside at the moment, your using chainsaws! l guess we are getting away with all this global warming lightly then.

 

Obama seems to be a big hit this side of the pond gotta say l like him, but he scares me to bits when he starts talking about Global Warming the UK press seem to think you will all be driving Fiesta's, Mini's & Fiat 500's and the odd 20 MPG Cadillac in the near future once Obama gets going.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/envi...icle5594192.ece

 

Gotta agree with you diesel is expensive Stateside (But what you pay for it would be considered cheap as peanuts in the UK) so diesel Connects would never sell all that well in the US - global vehicles looked doomed from the start.

Edited February 6, 2009 by Ford Jellymoulds

[goinbroke2]

"It's a funny ole world" Gotta love Maggie Thatcher.. B)

[WC-MAN]

I doubt it will get a gas motor. Delivery vans and commuter vehicles don't need to win drag races. The consumer market for big vans is rather thin. Although, I'd hate to see ford ceed it to GM. What's it cost to move the E to the new F-series standards. Considering the vehicle doesn't need to be trendy, plumbers and shuttle services are rarely cutting-edge stylists, it might be more fiscally logical to keep the E. However, as has been mentioned, the great lords on high are making the calls based on their special interest groups' desires. So the Transit may be a forced reality.

 

The easiest way to get Americans to drive smaller cars is to increase the gas tax until gas is $4-5 a gallon. The problem is, Politicians don't have the balls to tell the American people that gas should cost more, so they are trying to back-door efficiency by their favorite method, remove all other competition from the field. Yes comrades, when all the government allow to be made are small cars, by Lenin, everyone will DRIVE small cars! :fan:

 

Anybody who lived in the seventies knows where this is going. I was born in '72. I never had the privilege of personally dealing with gems like ignition lockouts over seat belts, seat belt buzzers that never cut off (one of dad's friends had a Rabbit with the belts fastened behind the bucket seats), or lights that warn you if you step on the gas too hard, but I do remember everyone scouring the country for pre-emissions cars that were still in decent shape, my grandfather turning off the AC to go uphill, and 455 V8 motors required to get basic performance. And what did all that high minded legislation net us? The SUV boom. Car companies simply made a station wagon on a truck chassis and Americans bought 'em by the boatload because they were big, safe, and what they wanted in an automobile. Look, we have several states bigger than most european countries, we have no high speed rail, we use highways to travel and Americans are NEVER going to voluntarily chose small cars over larger ones! End of story.

Edited February 6, 2009 by WC-MAN

[Ford Jellymoulds]

"It's a funny ole world" Gotta love Maggie Thatcher.. B)

 

 

Wicked Witch destroyed manufacturing in the UK, her daughters not much better she just got sacked by the BBC for calling a black tennis player a golliwog this week.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/0...15875-21100539/

 

 

Browns not much better Mr Bean was branded a "ONE EYED IDIOT" by Jeremy Clarkson and got slaughtered by the left wing press for doing it today.

Gotta say l think Jeremy was just being to kind, l think Brown gives idiots a bad name.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/83641

 

Oooooooops Jeremy Video

http://www.express.co.uk/youtube/W1lG1nxAvkI

Edited February 6, 2009 by Ford Jellymoulds

[MKII]

Connect refresh for 2009

http://members.home.nl/d.stojanovich/index...9%20online1.jpg

http://members.home.nl/d.stojanovich/index...09%20online.jpg

 

Essex Ford worker said he was told the next Transit launch delayed by 15 months, and also B-Max variant cancelled.

[theoldwizard]

LOL gotta say l am looking forwards to another sub-zero weekend in the UK & its snowing outside at the moment, your using chainsaws! l

We only had 5-8 days this year where the temp got above 0C all day here in SE MI.

 

I haven't gone for a swim in awhile, but I will bet that the ice on most of the ponds is at least 1 ft thick ! 100 miles north it is probably 2 ft thick !

[jpd80]

By comparison, Sydney will be +40 C today and 46C expected on Sunday.

 

 

Transit Jumbo is a bit bigger again, Payload is (4,400 lb and tows a similar amount.

I believe there's now a 5 cylinder 3.2 litre turbo diesel also available.

 

No matter, the truck is still too light for some of the bigger US applications handled by the E-series.

Perhaps that's where a Super Jumbo needs to be developed as a proper replacement for the E- Series.

[jon_the_limey]

Well, you will be seeing an EcoBoost 2.0L in the Mondeao very soon. Actually EcoBoost works better in EU, because you allow higher NOx and EcoBoost engines can run leaner than stoichiometry which results in lower CO2.

 

It's true that Euro emissions allow slightly more NOx than the NA emissions, but not enough that allows gasoline engines to run without NOx traps if running stratified. Most manufacturers are trying to avoid the use of NOx trap technology all together. The emerging consensus for Euro 6 is very small & highly boosted GDI turbo gasoline engines (120+ Bar cylinder pressures with ~25 Bar BMEP) running stoich with conventional 3-way Cat, also low end torque boosted with mild hybrid.

 

As jpd80 mentions the largest engine Transit has is a 3.2 I5, 200hp & 370 lbft, this is based off the Puma engine.

Edited February 7, 2009 by jon_the_limey

[TomServo92]

Per this Left Lane News article, US production is still on schedule.

[jpd80]

It's true that Euro emissions allow slightly more NOx than the NA emissions, but not enough that allows gasoline engines to run without NOx traps if running stratified. Most manufacturers are trying to avoid the use of NOx trap technology all together. The emerging consensus for Euro 6 is very small & highly boosted GDI turbo gasoline engines (120+ Bar cylinder pressures with ~25 Bar BMEP) running stoich with conventional 3-way Cat, also low end torque boosted with mild hybrid.

 

As jpd80 mentions the largest engine Transit has is a 3.2 I5, 200hp & 370 lbft, this is based off the Puma engine.

 

There's progress on reducing Diesel NOX.

Last year Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory developed a catalyst that uses lean burn diesel to break up 95-100% of the NOX. It's apparently a modified version of previous catalytic converter that now has an added chemical which makes the reaction go in the presence of water and lean burn. I'll let you experts dissect these articles, maybe this is the breakthrough?

 

Integrated Fuel Technologies gets worldwide license

for Argonne-developed Diesel DeNOx Catalyst

 

Technology reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by stunning 95 percent

LINK

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 1, 2008)—A new, patented catalyst developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory to reliably and economically reduce 95 to 100 percent of the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel-fueled engines has been licensed to Integrated Fuel Technologies, Inc. (IFT), a start-up company based in Kirkland, Wash.

 

IFT plans to integrate the technology – named Diesel DeNOx Catalyst – into the firm's existing products that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, said IFT president Robert Firebaugh. The products could be sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

 

"OEMs have expressed an interest in IFT products enhanced with the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst," Firebaugh said. "These companies want to know if the technology can survive continuous testing."

 

"The catalyst can also be easily retrofitted for installation on existing diesel engine vehicles," said Christopher Marshall, the Argonne chemist who led the development of technology. "There is a potentially large pool of customers for this technology, given the 11 million diesel engines currently on the road."

 

Emissions of NOx are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which began implementing on Jan. 1, 2007, a more stringent regulation to reduce releases of the smog-causing pollutant by 2.6 million tons a year on a phased-in basis through 2010. Standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are the strictest in the United States. Argonne and IFT aim for the Diesel DeNOx technology to meet CARB standards.

 

IFT is also collaborating with Argonne under a two-year research agreement to test the technology's longevity in real-world use and to demonstrate it in real-world applications to determine if it can meet a broad array of transportation applications.

 

The Diesel DeNOx Catalyst is a coating that is applied to a ceramic brick, like a catalytic converter, which is installed in a vehicle's emissions system. The technology works in conjunction with the particulate matter (PM) trap's filter. The PM trap's filter removes soot from diesel exhaust, which is then processed by the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst to remove NOx emissions.

 

"The key to the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst technology is the reductant," Marshall said. "Interestingly, it is the diesel fuel that reduces the NOx to nitrogen, a harmless compound that composes about 72 percent of the Earth's atmosphere. The catalyst achieves such high rates of conversion because of its interactions with the hydrocarbons in the diesel fuel. The reduction in NOx emissions comes as a result of its conversion into nitrogen."

 

Moreover, the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst has increased performance in the presence of water vapors. "That characteristic makes it ideal for use in automotive and truck exhaust systems, where water is always present," Marshall said.

 

Marshall and Argonne fellow researchers have also found the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst to be economical to make and use. The technology uses inexpensive metals — copper and cerium. Using diesel fuel as the reductant eliminates the need for onboard storage of compounds like ammonia or urea that existing technologies use as reductants, he said. Compared to existing technologies, Marshall said, Diesel DeNOx reduces the amount of additional weight a vehicle has to carry, allowing for more efficient use of a vehicle's fuel.

 

"Furthermore," he said, "the ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel that will soon be required for off-road use and is now mandated for on-highway use actually extends the life of the catalyst technology, which is poisoned by the sulfur."

 

The Diesel DeNOx Catalyst is a low-cost technology given the usable lifetime of the catalyst, which is about 400,000 miles. A typical semi-tractor trailer or shipping and delivery service truck is driven about 45,000 miles in year, according to the American Trucking Association.

 

Funding to develop the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst was provided by Argonne's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development program.

 

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

 

A bit more on the catalyst:

 

Argonne's Research

LINK

Argonne's catalyst is Cu-ZSM-5 with an external coating of cerium oxide. Cu-ZSM-5 is a zeolite with copper ions attached within its micropore structure. Although Cu-ZSM-5 and similar catalysts have traditionally performed poorly for removing NOx from diesel exhaust due to insufficient heat and the presence of water vapor, Argonne researchers have developed an additive that allows Cu-ZSM-5 and similar catalysts to overcome these difficulties. When this cerium-oxide additive is combined with Cu-ZSM-5, the resulting catalyst works at normal exhaust temperatures and is actually more effective in the presence of water vapor than without it. With a lean fuel-air mixture, it removes as much as 95–100 percent of NOx emissions.

 

The Argonne catalyst has performed well in the laboratory with a number of diesel and diesel-type fuels, including standard diesel, synthetic diesel, bio-diesel, and JP8, which is a jet fuel preferred by the military. The catalyst will next undergo engine testing at Argonne's Diesel Engine Test Facility .

 

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funded the initial research on the cerium-oxide catalyst. The catalyst was further developed for chemical plant emissions under a joint research agreement with BP. Research plans call for expanded work aimed at both diesel and natural gas engines and coal-fired power plants.

 

 

 

Argonne post-doctoral associate Sundar Krishnan (left), and researchers Steve Ciatti (center) and Chris Marshall (foreground, right) working with the equipment that will be used to engine-test the Cu-ZSM-5 catalyst. Marshall is holding a beaker of the catalyst material.

Researchers in Argonne's Chemical Engineering Division have developed a zeolite-based catalyst that may help diesel truck manufacturers eliminate harmful NOx emissions from diesel exhausts. Ceramic catalytic reactors containing the Argonne catalyst placed into vehicle exhaust pipes could convert NOx emissions into nitrogen.

[battyr]

what has always been needed is a v8 in the transit.

 

IMHO this would not be hard to do in a redesigned Transit to fit a V-8. The current van has a 3.2L I-5. The I-5 should have close to the same length as a 5.0L V-8. For a longitudinally mounted engine, the Transit is a full sized van with no dog house and can take any width of engine size.

 

The Transit is a different design from other vans. The engine is mounted infront of the front axle rather than on or behind it. To add a longer engine, you would only have to move the front bumper and rad forward as far as you need to make it fit. You can put any size engine that you want and everything from the front axle and behind can stay the same.

[Harley Lover]

Per this Left Lane News article, US production is still on schedule.

That's the Transit Connect, not the Transit, which is the subject of this thread. Please don't confuse the two (which LLN obviously did).

[TomServo92]

That's the Transit Connect, not the Transit, which is the subject of this thread. Please don't confuse the two (which LLN obviously did).

 

Ahh. Sorry about that then.

[twintornados]

so with the fullsize transit does this mean the end of the e series? i hope not as the e series has built quite a name here

My feeling is that in the North American market place...it will be named Econoline....

[Joe771476]

From what I see here in CT, the E-series is selling way more units than the Sprinter. I think I've seen maybe five new Sprinters (with the slanted crease line at the front).