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Ford's Transit Connect, named Green Car Journal's 2019 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ at the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show, is available in both cargo van and wagon variations. This popular commercial vehicle emerges as an all-new generation in 2019, with changes in its overall appearance at both ends and inside, through changes were minor. It continues to be offered in both short and long wheelbase versions. The larger van has more cargo volume and an increased payload capability of an additional 60 pounds over the smaller van's 1510 pounds. There are rear-door options - liftgate and panel truck style – as well as dual side doors. It’s available in XL and XLT trim.

Three engine choices are available, two of them new. One new offering is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, direct-injected flex-fuel (gasoline/E85 ethanol) engine producing 160 horsepower and 144 lb-ft torque, featuring 24 city/27 highway mpg. Also new is a 1.5-liter EcoBlue four-cylinder turbodiesel slated to arrive later in the model year. Auto stop/start is standard on both new engines. Six-speed automatic and new eight-speed automatic transmissions are offered. The Transit Connect’s carryover 2.5-liter Duratec four-cylinder engine features 169 horsepower and 171 lb-ft torque, delivering 20 city/27 highway mpg fuel economy. Fleet buyers can get the 2.5-liter engine prepped for propane or compressed natural gas conversions. The family of EcoBlue engines was developed by Ford engineering teams in the U.K. and Germany to replace the current Duratorq diesel engines. They offer improved fuel economy as well as reduced CO2 and NOX emissions.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2019-Ford-Transit-Connect-Cabin-LR-1-1024x576.jpgSince connectivity is important, especially for fleet managers who use it to enhance productivity, the Transit Connect has a standard 4G LTE modem capable of connecting 10 devices to the internet. A charger for wireless devices and two USB ports are also standard.

This compact van’s list of standard driver-assist features includes pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection, rear view camera, and automatic emergency braking with forward collision warning. Available systems include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver impairment monitor, and lane-keeping aid with lane departure warning. Standard Ford MyKey technologies allow fleet managers to preset warnings, set speed limits, and restrict audio volume. Also standard is a rear view camera, curve control, torque vectoring control, trailer sway control, and side-wind mitigation.

 

Automated Fusion Hybrid Research VehicleFord aims to have one of the largest automotive research teams in Silicon Valley with the establishment of its Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto, California. The center’s focus is to accelerate development of technologies and experiments in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience, and big data…in other words, the touchstones that may well define the future of personal transportation. As part of its activities, Ford has formed a research alliance with Stanford and will be delivering a Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle to university engineers for next-phase testing.

The new center expands the automaker’s global network of research and innovation centers that include its center in Dearborn, Michigan that focuses on advanced electronics, human-machine interface, materials science, big data, and analytics; plus its Aachen, Germany-based facility that focuses on next-generation powertrain research, driver-assist technologies, and active safety systems.

 

volvo-concept-estate-cabinVolvo’s new Concept Estate not only continues to reveal this automaker’s evolving design language, but also illustrates that Volvo is ready for the ‘big screen.’ Of special interest is this concept wagon’s interior design, which integrates a large tablet-like touchscreen at the center of the dash, a sure sign that connectivity and infotainment loom large in Volvo’s future, as they do with all automakers.

The automaker says its aim is to organize controls and information in an intuitive and user-friendly way, with the portrait touchscreen serving as the control panel for Volvo’s in-car user experience. This strategy does away with all buttons and controls save for a select few, including functions like window heaters, hazard warning, volume, and play/pause. From a design standpoint, this greatly simplifies interior architecture and provides significant design freedom for Volvo designers.