Increased CNG-Powered Vehicles Sales for Ford

The crisis in the oil rich Arab countries that started this year is continuing to bring the oil prices at new high levels, transforming, in turn, what was once an affordable price at the pump into a pain for the owners of gasoline or diesel cars.

For the car makers, the hike in fuel prices, worrying as it is, it's not a tragedy. All American car makers that offer alternative fueled cars are experiencing an increase in demand in that sector, an increase which, far from being enormous, is enough to fuel the introduction of more and more such vehicles.

The most sought after alternative fuel on the market these days is compressed natural gas (CNG), which slowly becomes a main type of fuel chosen by fleet operators in the commercial vehicle sector.

Cheaper and cleaner than say petrol, CNG is now a great alternative for all those planning to stay away from the pumps these days. For Ford, having a CNG option for its Transit Connect Taxi for instance landed it a 20-vehicle order from Metro Taxi of West Haven, Connecticut. One of many others to follow is the rise in prices at the pump continues.

“Fleet managers are adding all the reasons up and concluding that it makes sense to switch to CNG now more than ever,” said Rod Phillips, Ford Commercial Business manager of the New England area.

“We took the chance that infrastructure would expand when we introduced our Transit Connect Taxi CNG capability in advance of any incentives for infrastructure or CNG conversions,” added Gerald Koss, marketing manager for Ford fleet operations. “It turns out our timing couldn’t have been better.”