Al Jazirah Vehicles Agencies, the importer-dealer of Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the Kingdom, recently delivered 61 Ford ambulances to Saudi Aramco under an operational lease agreement. The ambulances are part of the world's number one oil company's upgrade of its frontline medical services fleet, in order to respond effectively to emergency medical needs of its employees and their dependents. The units are built on the Ford F-350 4x2 chassis and powered by the V8 6.4L power stroke turbo diesel engine. The F-350 Super Duty Chassis Cab is designed for hard work and is the popular choice for industrial and commercial applications. Built on 4x2 chassis, the F-350 is powered by the 6.4-liter power stroke V8 turbo diesel that delivers 350 horsepower at 3,000 rpm and 650 lb ft of torque starting at 2,000 rpm. It leverages Ford clean diesel technology, a series of special components that deliver clean, quiet performance. Sheikh Abdullah Al Kraidees, president of Al Jazirah Vehicles, lauded the deal: “We are pleased with this agreement as it reinforces the trust and confidence that our customers have in Ford's quality products as well as the superior after-sales support that Al Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co offer. “Al Jazirah Vehicles has carved itself a solid reputation for offering the best ownership experience of a Ford or a Lincoln vehicle in the Kingdom. Our dedication to deliver higher customer satisfaction levels has driven us at all times, and this is one of the main reasons why Al Jazirah Vehicles is a top of mind consideration in fleet requirements,” he added. “The Ford F-Series has been the world's best selling for over 30 years, and there are millions of customers worldwide who would vouch for this. We commend Aramco for this choice, as this confers even more confidence in a product that we firmly know to be an exceptional performer,” Al Kraidees said. “In the US, three out of four ambulances are built using a diesel chassis due to the superior performance during long idle periods and aggressive start/stop driving by the ambulance driver,” said Kurt Peterson, regional sales manager, Ford Middle East. “Ford is the top choice for chassis used to build ambulances in the US with 55 percent market share. This reiterates Ford's leadership in terms of quality, safety and reliability as we continue to deliver diverse fleet vehicles and solutions that our customers want and need no matter the industry they operate in,” Peterson added. Ford has partnered with the best body builders in North America to create a quality vehicle modifier program which ensures the highest level of quality construction for ambulances built on top of Ford chassis. Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's national oil company and a fully integrated petroleum company with operations in exploration and production, refining and marketing, and petrochemical manufacturing, provides medical care to Saudi as well as expatriate employees and their dependents. Today, Saudi Aramco continues to provide one of the largest and most modern company-directed hospital systems in the Middle East. Al Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co. is the largest Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer in the Middle East, with a wide representation across the Kingdom. The dealership registered their highest ever sales for the Ford and Lincoln brands in the Kingdom during 2008. In the past two decades, the company has invested heavily in setting up 14 state-of-the-art sales and service main facilities across the Kingdom and operates the region's largest Ford and MotorCraft parts depot. About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. Ford has about 205,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide. __
