Want to live in a van down by the river? Ford has a new vehicle for that

DETROIT — Ford Motor wants to marque "living successful a van down by the river" a spot much comfy than precocious comedian Chris Farley — a relative of the automaker's CEO — made it retired to beryllium successful a well-known "Saturday Night Live" sketch from the aboriginal 1990s.

The Detroit automaker connected Thursday revealed the 2023 Ford Transit Trail Van, a caller lifted exemplary of its full-size van equipped with all-wheel-drive and much durable, off-road parts for outdoor enthusiasts. It besides comes acceptable for customization, besides known arsenic "upfitting," to crook the conveyance into a surviving oregon sleeping space.

Ford is attempting to currency successful connected the roar successful sales of recreational trailers and vehicles, oregon RVs, during the coronavirus pandemic. Ford already is 1 of the main companies that provides trucks and vans to upfitters to marque them into RVs. It besides has launched a slew of off-road vehicles successful caller years specified arsenic the Ford Bronco SUVs and F-150 Tremor pickup.

"We volition person much request than supply, based connected each the numbers we see," Ted Cannis, CEO of the automaker's Ford Pro commercialized conveyance business, told CNBC.

Ford is touting the Transit Trail Van arsenic a gateway into "van life," a assemblage of travelers who afloat oregon partially unrecorded successful their vehicles. Photos released Thursday by the automaker amusement the conveyance immersed successful a scenic setting, including a mates who look to beryllium surviving by a river.

The operation "living successful a van down by the river" was made celebrated by Chris Farley during a 1993 "Saturday Night Live" sketch wherever helium played Matt Foley, a divorced motivational talker who lives successful a van down by the river. He tries to usage his concern to motivate 2 children — played by David Spade and Christina Applegate — to accidental nary to smoking marijuana.

For a time, Ford CEO Jim Farley had a notation to the spot — and his precocious relative — successful his Twitter profile: "Mustang and racing fan. Happen to emotion achromatic vans ...  preferably down by the river." The car enforcement has paid other tributes to his cousin connected the societal media level done the usage of memes and different media.

Cannis said there's nary transportation betwixt the conveyance and "SNL" sketch. However, helium said Jim Farley asked astir getting into this conception aft a travel to California successful 2020.

"He's precise enamored with the space, but it's truly conscionable coincidence successful this case," Cannis said.

The 2023 Ford Transit Trail Van volition spell connected merchantability successful the spring, starting astatine $65,975. That's astir $15,000 much than a basal rider Transit van. The conveyance volition beryllium disposable successful 3 cargo van configurations, including medium- and high-roof models and a high-roof, extended-length version.

The van volition beryllium produced astatine Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant successful Missouri. The conveyance does not travel modular with a surviving oregon sleeping space, but Transit Trail owners volition person entree to Ford Pro's web of upfitters and interior installers.

The conveyance volition beryllium sold to consumers arsenic good arsenic commercialized upfitters, which Cannis says tin walk tens of thousands of dollars customizing specified vehicles.