New Ford F-Max truck made entirely at Istanbul R&D center, where 1,200 engineers work

Ford Otosan is present in Turkey since the 1960s. The first passenger car, Anadol, was produced in 1966 and the first light commercial vehicle, Ford Transit, was made in 1997. Now it has launched Ford F- Max, a new line of heavy commercial vehicles, manufactured according to the latest European requirements.

The company has around 10,600 employees in Istanbul, Turkey, of which 1,500 are working in the research and development division. Ford has 3 sites in Istanbul, including their own port on the Bosporus straits, a gate for the export of the 455,000 vehicles made every year and entrance for another hundreds of thousand passenger cars.

The largest R&D center in the Turkish car industry

Today, with over 1,200 engineers, the Ford Otosan R&D Center is the largest in the Turkish automotive industry and exports engineering services. The projects contracted by Ford Motor Company and Ford Otosan include engines, bodywork and interior design. The Ford Motor Company’s calibration and development activity is carried out by Ford Otosan. Particular attention is paid to fuel economy innovations, emissions minimization, driver assistance systems, testing processes and the development of analysis methods.

Ford Otosan received the first prize in the “Architectural, Engineering, Scientific & Other Technical Services” category in 2015, according to the survey “Turkey’s First 500 Exporters of Services” and in 2016 the First Prize of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM). Total engineering exports reached USD 578 million in 2010.

The company started producing Ford Transit Couriers at the Yeniköy Factory in March 2014, after successfully completing all the analyzes, prototyping, construction and production work in 40 months. Transit Courier is the first light commercial vehicle project and all development work has been done by Ford Otosan.

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“The company’s net sales are up to USD 7 billion, of which USD 5.7 billion is the value of export. In 2018, Ford Otosan made 330,000 vehicles from the Transit family, 110,000 from the Transit Courier and 15,000 Ford Trucks,” said Selim Yazici, managing director for Eastern Europe and Balkans at Ford Trucks.

F-Max range

The new Ford Trucks F-MAX range was launched at the 67th edition of IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, Germany. The F-MAX takes over the name of Ford’s legendary F series and is required by its size, high level of comfort and durability. These attributes have made the new AutoTractor F-MAX win the prestigious Truck of the Year award in the jury’s competition of 23 specialists from 23 European countries. The award marks a remarkable success for the new F-Max.

The F-MAX will set a new benchmark and will be among the most important global brands in the heavy commercial vehicle segment. The new F-MAX was designed and tested by 500 Ford Otosan engineers for a 5-year period. Tests were conducted in 11 countries on 4 continents, using 233 prototype units. This involved 15,500 hours of laboratory testing and 5 million kilometers of road testing.

“Ford Trucks assumes a very challenging promise. Through Sharing the Load – our brand promise, we are committed to understanding customer needs and supporting them in successfully delivering cargo and difficulty, regardless of the burden they will have,” said Haydar Yenigün, CEO of Ford Otosan. “We have developed our new tractor unit based on the principles underlying the Ford brand: comfort, power, efficiency and cutting-edge technology. To ensure that design guarantees these aspects, in terms of efficiency and practicality, we have examined each component and every detail countless times.”

“70% of the sales of heavy commercial vehicles in Romania are represented by the tractors for international transport. The F-MAX is designed to respond perfectly to the requirements of the customers and drivers in this segment of the market. We will soon be able to deliver on the Romanian market the winning vehicle of the International Truck of the Year competition demonstrating that a competitive price does not require any compromise in terms of quality, technical specifications or performance. We look forward to offering the new F-MAX, a vehicle that will certainly increase the profitability and competitiveness of our customers, and will give drivers the chance to enjoy a cabin and a truck certified to find the best for the year 2019. I am convinced that the F-MAX will be very successful in Romania,” said Stefano Albarosa CEO of Cefin Trucks, the only importer and distributor of Ford Trucks in Romania.

The comfort of your home

The F-MAX offers comfort and luxury with its new 2.5-meter cabin with a modern design and driver-oriented approach. Cockpit style dashboard design provides an ergonomic space where all functions are easily accessible. Even minor details are created to enhance the enjoyment of driving experience. The key is the feeling of generous space offered by the cabin.

The F-MAX offers all of these with a flat floor that provides a height of 2160 mm between floor-to-ceiling height and a seat adjustment of 260 mm. In addition, the F-MAX offers drivers a patented airplane-style storage space and a revolutionary innovative bed with a 90 degree folding angle. The new vehicle even offers a braking similar to a car. In addition, it guarantees very good interior silence due to the torsion and rigidity of the cab – the best in its class, the low noise of the engine and the design that ensures noise reduction while driving.

Internal illumination in the bed and driver’s compartment, automatic climate control systems and steering wheel adjustments provide extra cab comfort. A mini-refrigerator and coffee maker included in some models offers added comfort to drivers.

The F-MAX also offers a 90 degree foldable top, an inclined frame for the lower bed, large and comfortable mattresses, a remote control unit near the bed, which offers an ideal area for drivers where they can relax when they take a break. The F-MAX driver seat offers maximum comfort. This state-of-the-art chair with a 260 mm adjustment range with high-quality breathability material and ergonomic design provides optimal lumbar support when the driver drives.

Power and efficiency

Cost of Ownership is a key factor for the new F-MAX and the truck covers all three cost domains. Production and product development combined with increased vertical integration make Ford Trucks a competitive price advantage, with a starting price or around EUR 70,000.

The new F-MAX has a high-performance engine with 500 hp, 2500 Nm and 400 kW braking power. Higher aerodynamics, propulsion system calibration and technical features also provide remarkable fuel efficiency performance with a 6% improvement on the previous models. Technical features include E-APU technology, eco-roll function, cruise control predictor (Max Cruise). Due to the low maintenance costs and long service intervals, the new F-MAX brings savings of up to 7 percent on maintenance costs. The Ecotorq engine of the F-MAX offers maximum performance and minimum fuel consumption in all road conditions.

The 12-speed automatic ZF transmission and various driving modes, such as the Eco and Power modes, help optimize fuel consumption. The new F-MAX is also enhanced by a variable geometry turbocharger, a water pump and a multi-speed compressor, with a 400 kW braking power for the engine that reaches a total power of 1000 KW with the optional intarder.

Top technology

With the new F-MAX, Ford Trucks launches “ConnecTruck” – a revolutionary technology. ConnecTruck offers extensive benefits including remote vehicle monitoring using remote diagnostics software and over-the-air software. Special Topography Map means that the F-MAX is able to analyze road conditions, allowing the vehicle to drive at optimum speeds, thus reducing fuel consumption by up to 4%. FMS integration allows the ConnecTruck and Ford Trucks cloud to act as a cumulus of data for a third party, having remote access to the data selected for that vehicle.

The new F-MAX offers invaluable support for the driver on the road through systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Predictive Cruise Control (Max Cruise), Advanced Emergency Brake System, Hill Launch Assist, , Lane Departure Warning, adjustable speed limiter and Electronic Stability Control.

The 8 “TFT color display allows you to display all vehicle functions, from tire pressures, outside temperature to driving driver rating functions. Control switches located on the leather steering wheel allow the driver to navigate between the different The embedded navigation system, the web link and the Apple CarPlay implementation, as well as the Bluetooth connectivity features, are featured on the 7.2 “LCD touch screen multimedia.

The spectacular design of the F-MAX headlamps optimizes night vision by lightening the road, ensuring that no detail escapes the driver’s trajectory. The attractive design of parking maneuvering lighting, LED daytime running lights and optional LED lighting enhance the standard vehicle light system.

Ford Trucks F-Vision Future truck, fully-electric

F-Vision is Ford Trucks’ first truck concept. This is the prototype of a stand-alone truck. The model reveals Ford Trucks’ vision of electrification, the autonomous and connected unit, lightweight and carbon-free. It takes care of the priorities of the people, both inside the cabin, as well as on the road, as well as the carried cargo, and constantly seeks to connect and communicate with the environment and the users.

Cefin Trucks

Cefin Trucks is the sole importer of Ford Trucks in Romania. The company is a trusted carrier partner, working for more than 20 years in the automotive field as a provider of services and products to transport professionals. The distribution and technical support network is present in Bucharest, Constanta, Braşov, Craiova, Timişoara, Deva, Arad, Bacău, Suceava, Cluj, Oradea and Baia Mare. The complete service package offered by Cefin Trucks integrates with Post-Sale Services, offering optimized financial solutions, TradeIn services, BuyBack services, user training services and, last but not least, telematics services.