BRENTWOOD, Essex, UK, March 17, 2014 – The all-new Ford Transit Connect, International Van of the Year 2014, is the continued vehicle of choice for Sevenoaks District Council.

The Kent council is one of the first to take delivery of the new van, which went on sale this year. It replaces their previous generation Ford Transit Connect which provided a reliable service for 10 years.

Ian Finch, head of direct services at Sevenoaks District Council, said: “We are very pleased with the first of the new Ford Transit Connect vans. It is used daily to courier documents and goods around and beyond the district. We expect this new Ford will be equally reliable as well as helping to further reduce the council’s total fleet emissions and fuel usage.”

Haynes Ford – one of the UK’s oldest-established Ford dealers – supplied the new Transit Connect. Peter Freeman, fleet and municipal consultant, said: “I sold the first Ford Transit van in the south-east in the 1960s, so it is very pleasing to have taken this order for one of the first of the new Transit Connects almost 50 years on, particularly as the customer is Sevenoaks District Council.”

The council’s annual vehicle replacement programme of over 25 Fords allows them to streamline their fleet to ensure the chosen vehicles meet specific needs and requirements. The council look for vehicles which are operationally effective, fuel efficient and with minimum vehicle emissions.

The Transit Connect offers a choice of advanced engines including the award-winning 1.0 litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine, which delivers 100PS and 170Nm of torque with a six-speed manual transmission.
When combined with other fuel-saving technologies, such as Auto-Start-Stop, the standard TDCi 95PS diesel achieves around 24 per cent better fuel economy and 25 per cent lower CO2 emissions than the outgoing model.