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Utilimaster

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Utilimaster
Founded1973
HeadquartersBristol, Indiana, U.S.
ProductsMulti-stop trucks
ParentThe Shyft Group
Websiteutilimaster.com

Utilimaster, a subsidiary of The Shyft Group, manufactures multi-stop trucks. It was founded in 1973 in Wakarusa, Indiana.

In 1996, Utilimaster was bought for $65 million from Harley-Davidson by senior management and an investment group which was led by Kirkland Messina. It had been owned by Holiday Rambler before Harley-Davidson. On November 19, 2009, Spartan Motors (now The Shyft Group) acquired Utilimaster for $45 million in an all-cash transaction. Spartan sold the Road Rescue division to Allied Specialty Vehicles in 2010.

Utilimaster bought Union City Body Company, a competitor from Union City, Indiana, for an undisclosed amount on November 16, 2005. Union City Body bought the General Motors chassis and commercial truck business in 1998.

Products

1992 Utilimaster (UMC) Aeromate

In the 1980s and 1990s, the company manufactured the aerodynamic Aeromate on an in-house, front-wheel drive chassis. The original model was introduced in August 1988 and used Chrysler's 2.5-liter inline-four engine known from the K-car. Later models used either the turbocharged version of Chrysler's 2.5-litre four cylinder engine or their 3.3-litre V6 engine; the V6 was introduced for the 1991 model year. With a 5,500-pound (2,495 kg) GVWR the vehicle's payload was 2,050 lb (930 kg) with either engine fitted.

In mid-1990, Utilimaster introduced the larger Aeromaster Z2000 for the 1991 model year. The aerodynamic walk-in van was also built on a proprietary front-wheel drive chassis, and came in GVWRs ranging from 10,000 to 12,500 lb (4,540 to 5,670 kg). The engine options were a Ford gasoline V8 or a Cummins' 4BT four-cylinder diesel.

Isuzu Reach in FedEx livery

In 2011, Isuzu and Utilimaster announced plans for Utilimaster to assemble the Isuzu Reach in its Wakarusa, Indiana, plant. It is a commercial step van with improved aerodynamics and a more fuel-efficient engine than other walk-in vans in the class. On February 14, 2012, Utilimaster announced that it would move from Wakarusa to Bristol, Indiana, 17 miles away.

In 2012, Utilimaster and Smith co-developed an integrated walk-in van design using Smith's Newton chassis platform. The Newton Step Van was available in configurations of 14,000 to 26,000 lbs. GVW and 650 to 1,200 cubic feet and provided a range of approximately 100 miles on a single charge. In 2015, Utilimaster introduced the first walk-in cargo van, which they named Velocity. The van was developed on the Ford Transit chassis, available in gas, diesel, or CNG/LPG configurations.

In 2020, at the NTEA's Work Truck Show, Utilimaster announced the Velocity M3, a walk-in cargo van built on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. In 2020, Utilimaster announced the Velocity F2, a sub-10,000 lbs. GVWR walk-in cargo van built on the Ford Transit chassis.

On 6 March 2023 Utilimaster announced the deployment in 5,860 walk-in vans of its Rapid Driver Cooling System.

References

  1. ^ "Spartan Motors Announces Agreement to Acquire Utilimaster Corporation". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association LLC. 2009-11-19. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13.
  2. "Allied Specialty Vehicles, Inc. Announces The Acquisition of Road Rescue". Road Rescue. 2010-09-20. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25.
  3. "GM To Sell Chassis Business". AP News Archive. The Associated Press. 1998-09-04.
  4. "Light Trucks Specs (supplement)". Fleet Owner. Vol. 83, no. 12. FM Business Publications. December 1988. p. LT3.
  5. ^ Siegel, Stewart (July 1990). "The New Models for 1991: Light Trucks". Fleet Owner. Vol. 85, no. 7. FM Business Publications. p. 62.
  6. ^ Mele, Jim (July 1990). "The New Models for 1991: Mid-Range Trucks". Fleet Owner. Vol. 85, no. 7. FM Business Publications. p. 76.
  7. "Indiana Facility to Produce Isuzu Commercial Vehicles". Inside Indiana Business. 2011-03-09. Archived from the original on 2015-02-22.
  8. "Utilimaster Unveils New Velocity M3 Walk-in Cargo Van at the 2020 Work Truck Show". Utilimaster. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  9. "Delivery Drivers to Benefit from In-Vehicle Cooling Systems from Utilimaster®". Yahoo Finance. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-08-14.

External links

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