During Fenatran 2022, manufacturers Ford and Iveco announced the arrival of automatic transmissions for their lines of vans and vans. Until then, this segment lacked models without the clutch pedal.
The two manufacturers jump in front of Renault, which sells the Master, Fiat, which sells the Ducato, and Mercedes-Benz, which works with the Sprinter in the segment. Ford will start sales of the automatic Transit in the first half of 2023. The versions that will have the transmission are the minibus versions, with 15 and 18 passengers and glass, and the long van version with a capacity of 12.4 m³.
Transit’s automatic transmission will be a 10-speed torque converter. The transmission is the same as the Mustang, but with specific calibration for the commercial model. The driver has the option of manual changes via a button on the gear lever. There will be three driving modes: normal, economic and low grip (wet floors, snow, among other conditions). The engine remains the 2.0 EcoBlue with a power of 160 hp and torque of 39.7 kgfm. The Transit Chassi that will make its debut in the second half of 2023 will only be offered with a six-speed manual transmission. Iveco’s Daily line will have greater availability of models with automatic transmission. For the commercial of the Italian brand, the gearbox will be the eight-speed automatic supplied by ZF. It is called Hi-Matic.
The Daily Hi-Matic will have three driving modes: Eco to favor consumption, Power with faster changes and sequential manual through the exchange. For Iveco’s light commercial vehicle, the automatic transmission will be available in models, Chassis, van and passengers in models 35-180 to 65-180. The engine of the Iveco Daily Hi-Matic is the FPT F1C Max that yields power of 180 hp and torque of 43.8 kgfm. Sales will begin in the first half of 2023.