"When we created the Truck Vehicle Center, we wanted to combine the experience and expertise of Ford engineers from across the globe into one dedicated product development facility," said Gurminder Bedi, vice president of the Truck Vehicle Center.

 "The TVC has responsibility for developing some of the best-known and best-selling nameplates in the automotive industry: the Ford F-Series pickup truck, the Ford Explorer Sport Utility vehicle and the Transit medium commercial vehicle use in Europe."

The Truck Vehicle Center is in Ford's Product Development Center in Dearborn, just outside Detroit, Michigan. The Product Development Center also houses the Large and Luxury Car Vehicle Center and some of Ford's advanced vehicle engineering and scientific research facilities.

The center had sales revenues of around $60 billion in 1998 and if treated as a separate company would rank fifth among Fortune 500 top companies.

The Truck Vehicle Center is responsible not only for the ongoing engineering support of Ford's current range of trucks, SUVs and vans but also for the design, testing and development of all forthcoming products. Such vehicles include the next-generation Transit van and the new Explorer Sport Trac, which was unveiled at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Truck Vehicle Center's products include: