- More than half of small business owners use their business vehicles for personal travel, finds a new survey by Ford and Manta; nearly 75 percent of respondents say they would be more productive if their vehicle enabled them to make hands-free calls on the road with technology like Ford SYNC 3
- Purchase price, maintenance and fuel costs are the top considerations for business owners looking to purchase a new vehicle
- Three small business owners awarded $5,000 to customize their Ford Transit and Transit Connect vans in the Driving the American Dream contest conducted by Ford and Manta
Only 42 percent of respondents use their business vehicles for business reasons all the time. One quarter drive their business vehicle for nonbusiness-related travel 25 percent of the time, while another 17 percent drive their business vehicle for personal use half the time.
“Dual use was one of the key considerations in the design of Ford Transit Connect,” says Yaro Hetman, Ford brand manager for Transit, Transit Connect and E-Series. “Customers appreciate the seats fold down for deliveries during the week and the vehicle works well as a family van on weekends.”
Approximately 13 percent of small business owners surveyed rely on vans for their businesses. One quarter drive trucks, 16 percent drive another type of service vehicle, 23 percent drive cars and 18 percent drive SUVs.
Regardless of which vehicle they choose, flexibility is key for these entrepreneurs. Nearly half report they use their business vehicle primarily for driving themselves to appointments, 36 percent use it to carry equipment to job sites, 30 percent make deliveries and 8 percent transport customers.
“One day we’re using our Transit to move merchandise between stores, the next day we’re using it for event support for charity functions,” says Stuart Hunter, founder of Columbus, Ohio-based roll:, which sells bicycles, clothing and gear. “The next day it’s supporting our race team – where it becomes a mobile changing room. The versatility was really key to us.”
Hunter is one of three small business owners who won $5,000 to upfit Ford Transit and Transit Connect vans in the Driving the American Dream contest conducted by Ford and Manta. The other winners are Steve Ozment, owner and operator of Flowerama in Columbus, and Manuel Mendoza, owner of La Patisserie, a bakery and catering company in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Connectivity technology boosts productivity
Business errands are made more efficient when entrepreneurs can leverage mobile technology in their vehicles, according to the survey.
Almost three-quarters of respondents say they would be more productive if they could make hands-free calls through a Bluetooth-enabled system like SYNC® 3 – Ford’s new communications and entertainment technology that features faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, a more intuitive smartphone-like touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface to help Ford customers connect on the road.
For some respondents – 25 percent – hands-free phone calls are the No. 1 thing that gets them through spending a lot of time in their vehicles. For others, snacks help them power through.
“When I’m traveling in the Transit, my dirty little secret is beef jerky,” says Hunter. “It only happens within the Transit. It’s the only place I’ll eat beef jerky. It’s kind of like White Castle – never before midnight – so I have a passion for beef jerky I’m not sure even my wife knows about.”
Purchase price, maintenance, resale value among top purchase considerations
In addition to making the most of their time on the road, small business owners are keen on maximizing their financial resources. Half say purchase price is a top consideration when determining which vehicle to buy for their businesses.Ford Transit is the best value for fleets in five out of six full-size van categories, based on Vincentric 2015 fleet awards analysis of full-size vans. The short-wheelbase midsize Ford Transit Connect XLT was named Best Fleet Value in Vincentric’s mini passenger commercial van category.
Nearly one quarter of survey respondents say maintenance is a top consideration.
“The reason I continue to buy Ford vehicles is they hold up, as they’re not expensive to maintain, because they do what they say they’re going to do,” says Ozment, who uses Transit Connect to deliver flowers. “That one is checked off the list. Our Transit Connect is rock solid – unequivocally the right answer.”
Ford Transit and Transit Connect can be repaired at any of more than 3,000 Ford dealer locations across the United States, and the Ford Business Preferred Network includes nearly 600 dealers with advanced commercial vehicle expertise. More than 80 percent of commercial customers are located within 30 miles of a Ford Business Preferred Network dealer and more than 63 percent are within 10 miles.
Other factors guiding small business vehicle purchases include fuel costs for 22 percent of respondents, repairs for 17 percent and insurance for 11 percent of small business owners, according to the survey. More than 10 percent say resale value is a top consideration. Ford Transit Connect retains its value better than any other vehicle in its segment, based on ALG's residual value forecast for the 2015 model year.
Nearly 17 percent of small business owners surveyed report their vehicles run on diesel or alternative fuel. Ford offers customers the power of choice, so small business owners can decide whether naturally aspirated gasoline, EcoBoost®, diesel, CNG or propane makes the most sense.
Many of the small business owners surveyed feel strongly their vehicle purchases should support other American businesses. Nearly 65 percent say it matters that their vehicle is assembled in the United States.
Transit – the best-selling commercial van in America – is assembled at Kansas City Assembly Plant with domestic and foreign parts.
Manta surveyed 1,202 small business owners via online poll between Sept. 4 and Sept. 8, 2015. The margin of error is +/- 2.83 percentage points.
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