Ford unveiled the Turneo Custom Concept at the Geneva Motor Show almost two weeks ago, and now they are announcing that their stylish people carrier will go into production, with sales across Europe and other world markets scheduled to begin in 2012.
The Turneo Custom is part of Ford’s plans of refreshing their entre commercial vehicle lineup by 2014, with the actual production version of this van to debut at the Birmingham (England) Commercial Vehicle Show in April.
According to the company, the Turneo Custom will have car-like dynamics, a driver focused cockpit and an all-new interior design, plus it will be available in short (4.97 metres) or long (5.34 metres) wheelbases, with eight or nine seats configurations.
Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe "The bold new Tourneo Custom signals the start of a revolution in Ford’s commercial vehicle range," "It’s a fantastic-looking people mover – inside and out – and offers
outstanding day-to-day, real world practicality as well as being great
to drive."
Apart from its appearance that uses the Kinetic design principles applied on Ford’s passenger cars, Turneo Custom is also going to be packed with smart technologies and will offer "outstanding fuel economy".
Those smart technologies will include Auto Start Stop, Smart Regenerative Charging on all stage V emission vehicles, the SYNC voice-activated connectivity system, a rear-view camera integrated into the rear-view mirror and driver assistance systems such as Lane Keeping Alert and Driver Alert.
As for the powertrain, we are talking about a 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine available with three power ratings – 100 PS, 125 PS and 155 PS. This engine will be paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard and will enable combined economy figures of 6.9-litres per 100 Km and Co2 emissions of 182 g/Km.
The new Turneo Custom will be built at Ford’s Kocaeli plant in Turkey.
