The U.K. scrappage scheme, similar to the U.S. “Cash for Clunkers” program, has created a lot more business for Ford across the Pond. The Blue Oval’s most recent milestone under the scrappage program was the sale of their 30,000th scrappage-scheme vehicle. A testament to the power of free money and Ford reliability, a Transit full-size van was the 30,000th vehicle sold, and one of 1100 Ford commercial vehicles selected.
The particular van in question is a Ford Transit 260 SWB Trend ordered by Quick Electrical Services in Southampton. The van has the short wheelbase, a 2.2-liter diesel engine with 113 horsepower, power and heated mirrors, Bluetooth connectivity, and cruise control. It replaced an older Volkswagen van and was deemed an excellent replacement by Quick Electrical Services.
“The Ford Transit gives me a lot more space for the tools of my trade and has all the mod cons in the cab, which I’m enjoying getting used to,” said Dave Quick, owner. “The Ford Transit's also locally made -- supporting businesses from your own area makes sense, and hopefully that will rub off on my trade too.”
The U.K. scrappage scheme provides incentives of 2000 GBP for owners of pre-March 2002 commercial vans weighing up to 3.5 metric tons. The U.K. government has allotted 300 million GBP for the program and pay for half of the incentives. The other 1000 GBP is paid by the participating auto manufacturers. Like “Cash for Clunkers,” trade-in vehicles must adhere to standard guidelines, and only new vehicles are eligible for purchase.
Despite the boost in sales, Ford should need little help moving their vans. The Blue Oval was recently named Britain’s most reliable van manufacturer, as determined by the
Fleet News magazine’s annual reliability survey. The Ford Transit was rated the number one most reliable van, with the smaller Transit Connect coming in third. The survey polls the U.K.’s leading leasing companies, which combined are accountable for over a million vehicles.
Stephen Briers, editor of Fleet News said: “This survey is the largest of its kind in the country and is based on feedback from those who really know about the reliability of vehicles -- people who run hundreds of thousands of vehicles over many hundreds of thousands of miles.”
Other Ford commercial vehicles available in the U.K. include the Fiesta vans and Rangers.