In Europe, seven main truck manufacturers dominate the marketplace. Soon, an eighth force will become prevalent, a reincarnation, in fact, of a popular brand from the 1920s to the ‘80s.

Following Ford Trucks’ takeover by Iveco over 36 years ago, Ford Otosan, jointly owned by the Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding, continued to build light and heavy commercial vehicles, including full production of Ford’s complete Transit family for Europe and beyond. Ford trucks were sold mainly in Eastern European markets over the past 30 years, but the HGV brand is now about to spread its wings once more through Ford Otosan, from its headquarters in Turkey.

For decades, the original Ford Cargo truck and subsequent evolutions proved most popular in the road haulage and construction sectors. In recent times, Ford Trucks looked to expand its truck offerings with a plan to develop the F-Max, a new flagship heavy-duty model created in-house and bringing together 60 years of research and development experience. Having proved its worth in its local Turkish market and adjoining countries, the International Truck of the Year 2019 award winning F-Max is now ready to take on the established makes and models in the European market.

But to re-establish a truck brand in any continent is no simple task, it takes lots of investment, time, effort and strategic planning, as well as wise decisions. A round table discussion with senior executives at Ford Otosan at Sancaktepe, a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, in Turkey, has revealed more details of the expansion plans. Haydar Yenigun General Manager, was joined by Burak Gokcelick, Assistant GM – Product Development and Emirah Duman, Ford Trucks International Markets Director to highlight the activities at this location and plans for the future. On-site design and development projects include diesel engines, transmissions, platforms, interior and exterior vehicle styling and more recently Level 4 Autonomous Driving Functions.

A revamp of the Ford Cargo’s cabin in the early 2000s saw Ford once again become a serious player in the Turkish truck market. A further expansion of the range took place five year years later when a new Global Cargo model was revealed, a model that was also sold in South America and South Africa. A new platform and powertrain for the Cargo was introduced in 2016 in preparation for installation into the new F-Max. Here-tofore, Ford had used Iveco Cursor diesel engines but in time for the introduction of the F-Max, a totally new 13-litre unit with 420/480/500hp and a 9-litre 330hp with Euro 6D diesel engine was developed, followed by a new 16-speed automated gearbox with predictive optimal gearshift strategy.

Another innovative project was the creation of AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles) for end-to-end logistic solutions within the production facility. Continued focus areas include further weight reduction on all vehicles, the refinement of autonomous truck operation and electrified powertrain engineering. Ford’s Level 4 Highway Pilot Project focusing on autonomous driving is in progress, with early commercial trials commencing this Summer.

Haydar outlined that back in 2007, just eleven countries were served by Ford Otosan, mainly local markets along with Russia, CIS and Africa. The inclusion of the Middle East brought this figure up to twenty-one, while a significant expansion within Central Europe from 2017 to 2021 extended the range to 45 countries. By 2024, that figure is set to reach 55 once the dealer infrastructure required in Western Europe, including Scandinavia, is secured. Beyond then, right hand drive markets will be supplied, such as the UK, Ireland and possibly South Africa. In due course, over 75% of Ford Truck’s production will be directed towards exports. n With 1,300 employees, Ford Otosan’s

Sancaktepe R&D Centre is the largest such facility in Turkey n At Gölcük, 200 employees undertake engine testing for light and medium duty commercial vehicles and where the after-treatment laboratory is located n Turkey’s only vehicle proving ground is situated at Otosan’s Eskischir site, where CV prototypes, powertrains and special vehicles are tried and tested n For the development of the E-Transit,

Ford Otosan worked on structure, hardware and exterior trim development and design.