“Astonishing!” - Ford

you unveiled transit custom and tourneo custom at
the birmingham commercial Vehicle show. Sum up the
feedback you’ve had.
Absolutely fantastic. Birmingham was a one van show and we had by
far the most important vehicle there. Since the show, we’ve had lot of
interest from customers who tell us it is a great-looking vehicle but
also one that is very functional. Transit has always appealed to fleet
operators, of course, now with Transit Custom we are also appealing
to owner-operator customers, people who buy their own vehicle and
take it home at night. They need a van for their business, but want
one that has style as well as load-carrying capability. The Transit
Custom gives us a tremendous opportunity to appeal to such
customers.
Just how important are these new cVs to Ford?
We have always had strength around the world in commercial
vehicles, with Transit very strong in Europe and APA markets. We
have been the top seller in many of those markets for more than 40
years, so, obviously, the commercial vehicle business is very important
to Ford. These new vehicles will continue our growth in sales
and reinforce our leading position.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when designing
and developing these models?
Our target was to produce a vehicle that was great-looking but with
all the functionality for which Transit is famous. Transit Custom
succeeds by looking smaller from the outside while having impressive
interior space. Earlier in the development process, the question
was asked was ‘do we want a functional vehicle or a stylish vehicle?’.
The answer was that we wanted both, because that is what customers
want. Designers and engineers worked very closely to achieve
that objective.
how much of an improvement over the current range is the
new transit custom?
For ride, handling and brakes, the Transit Custom represents a
step change. It is similar to what we did some years ago when
we replaced the Escort with the Focus, the difference is that great.
The current Transit is already recognised as one of the best-handling
vehicles on the market, but when a customer drives the new Transit
Custom the difference will be very noticeable. Additionally, the
model’s styling, performance and car-like interior encouraged us
to develop a Tourneo bus version.
Biography
Barry Gale is chief engineer, commercial
vehicles, Ford of Europe, with overall responsibility
for the engineering development of
Ford’s Transit, Transit Custom, and Transit
Connect product lines. Located in Dunton,
UK and Kocaeli, Turkey, he was appointed to
this position in 2006.
Gale has extensive experience in leading the
development of Ford’s commercial vehicle
products, and prior to his current role he was
chief program engineer, Transit programs
from 1999 to 2006, based in Dearborn, USA,
Dunton and Kocaeli. Before this, he was
project manager for Transit in Dearborn and
Genk, Belgium between 1997 and 1999.
Gale’s Ford career began in 1982 within the
European powertrain group.
Interview
Will these vehicles be best-in-class in terms of Ford’s
pillars: safe/smart/quality and green?
It will be best-in-class in the commercial vehicle segment in all of
those areas. We have put a lot of attention into safety and NCAP
ratings; there is innovative smart technology with SYNC; quality and
reliability are always a top priority; and in terms of ‘green,’ we have
exceptional CO 2 figures, best-in-class, in fact.
how closely do you work with customers when designing
and developing new products, and how important is their
input?
Input from customers is always very important. One of the strengths
of the Transit team in Dunton is that it has extensive experience and
contact with customers. We get feedback from customers driving
current models and new products. They tell us about vehicle reliability
and ease of use. Obviously, we do a great deal of market research
and we listen carefully to what customers tell us, both about the
features on the vehicles they are driving and the features that they
would like to see incorporated. With the Transit Custom we did far
more research than we have done before, focussing particularly on
styling and functionality. The sort of questions we asked were: “what
do you do with your vehicle every day?”, “what do you carry in the
front, and in the back?”, “what technology do you have?”, and so on.
We listen and respond. Just one example: we now offer drivers the
ability to recharge their mobile phone out of sight.
how has One Ford impacted the company’s cV
programmes?
The Dunton-based commercial vehicle team has always had an
international outlook, working with colleagues around the world.
Similarly, the Transit has always been a great example of how Ford
works around the world. As we roll-out our full CV range, there will
be significant opportunities. It has already been announced, for
example, that our new, big Transit will replace the E-series in North
America.
Finally, how do you and your team “Go Further”?
Fresh in my mind is the past six months, when many in our team
have been going further both in terms of travel and commitment;
leaving their families and travelling to Kocaeli in Turkey every week.
The team has also worked hard on developing team spirit with
colleagues in Turkey.
@Ford Europe July/August 2012 15