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Founded | 1973 |
---|---|
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Products | Multi-stop trucks |
Parent | The Shyft Group |
Website |
utilimaster |
Utilimaster, a subsidiary of The Shyft Group, manufactures multi-stop trucks. It was founded in 1973 in Wakarusa, Indiana. [1]
Previously owned by Holiday Rambler and then Harley-Davidson, Utilimaster was bought by senior management and an investment group led by Kirkland Messina for $65 million in 1996.
On November 19, 2009, Spartan Motors (now named The Shyft Group) acquired Utilimaster for $45 million in an all-cash transaction. [1] Spartan sold the Road Rescue division to Allied Specialty Vehicles in 2010. [2]
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. [3]
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. [4] Later models used either the turbocharged version of Chrysler's 2.5-litre four or their 3.3-litre V6 engine, with the V6 being introduced for the 1991 model year. [5] With a 5,500-pound (2,495 kg) GVWR the vehicle's payload was 2,050 lb (930 kg) with either engine fitted. [5]
In mid-1990, for the 1991 model year, Utilimaster introduced the larger Aeromaster Z2000. Also sitting on a proprietary front-wheel drive chassis, this aerodynamic walk-in van was available in GVWRs from 10,000 to 12,500 lb (4,540 to 5,670 kg) and was offered with either Ford gasoline V8 engines or Cummins' 4BT four-cylinder diesel. [6]
In 2011, Isuzu and Utilimaster announced plans for Utilimaster to assemble the Isuzu Reach in their 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. [7] On February 14, 2012, Utilimaster announced it would move from Wakarusa, Indiana, to nearby Bristol, Indiana.
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 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. [8]
In 2020, Utilimaster announced the Velocity F2, a sub-10,000 lbs. GVWR walk-in cargo van built on the Ford Transit chassis. The Velocity F2 combines the comfort, nimbleness, and fuel-efficiency of a cargo van, with the load capacity similar to a traditional walk-in delivery van. [9]