Ford Spain, its dealer network, and the ONCE Foundation have brought the Ford Adapta tour to Lanzarote for the first time. This initiative has visited nearly 80 Spanish locations since 2014. This program aims to facilitate vehicle testing for people with disabilities or reduced mobility.
The presentation of Ford and the ONCE Foundation was held at the Castillo de San José in Arrecife and was attended by local authorities such as the Vice President of the Cabildo, Jacobo Medina, and the First Deputy Mayor of the Arrecife City Council, Jose Alfredo de Mendoza, as well as the Product Communication Manager of Ford Spain, Antonio Chicote, the Director of Institutional Relations of the ONCE Foundation, Ignacio Tremiño, and the manager of the Camemóvil dealership, Pedro Cabrera.
Ford Adapta, an initiative in which Ford and the ONCE Foundation are pioneers, presents a range of adapted vehicles during its visit to Lanzarote, including units of Ford Focus, Tourneo Connect, Transit Custom, and Transit Bus MobilEasy.
Facilitating universal access to mobility
The Vice President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jacobo Medina, thanked ONCE and Ford Spain for their work during the event. "Public mobility and accessibility policies are among our top priorities as a government. We work on everything that our powers allow us, and proof of this is our effort to promote more sustainable and accessible mobility. But the effort would be insufficient if it were not accompanied by the commitment of the private sector, as is the case with Ford," he said during the presentation of the program.
For his part, the First Deputy Mayor of the Arrecife City Council, José Alfredo Mendoza, highlighted "the city's commitment to eliminating barriers, facilitating mobility and dignified access for all people," and thanked Ford and the ONCE Foundation for choosing the Castillo de San José to present the program for the first time in Lanzarote. "With the arrival of the Ford Adapta tour in Lanzarote after its passage through Tenerife, we feel that we have reached a new milestone in our goal of facilitating universal access to mobility throughout Spain," said the Communication Manager of Ford Spain, Antonio Chicote.
"In the coming days, you will have the opportunity to learn in depth about the technologies incorporated in the range we are exhibiting today, a sample of the company's effort to equip our vehicles with the most advanced solutions in terms of accessibility. Our adapted vehicles cover 80% of the adaptations required by people with disabilities. We want the purchase process to be the same for them as for any other customer," he added.
The Director of Institutional Relations of the ONCE Foundation, Ignacio Tremiño, explained that "the collaboration between Ford and the ONCE Foundation began 20 years ago" and stated that "in this time, many people with disabilities have had the opportunity to be part of the Ford vehicle production process."
Regarding the Ford Adapta program, he highlighted that "it arrives in the Canary Islands after touring numerous cities in the Peninsula in recent years, where 3,800,000 people with disabilities have had the opportunity to test vehicles adapted to their mobility needs and those of their families." "Ford Adapta implies more than adapting vehicles, it also implies putting people with disabilities on the front line with other citizens," he said.
Representing the Ford dealer network, Pedro Cabrera, assured that "it is a privilege to join Ford and the ONCE Foundation once again in this program. "It is a program of vital importance that represents a qualitative leap in our relationship with people with special needs who need to buy a car, to facilitate their access to adaptations, but also accessibility to our facilities. This program is a challenge that allows us to grow as professionals," he said.
Ford Adapta in Lanzarote
The range of adapted vehicles will be available for a test drive at the Camemóvil dealership, located on Avenida Mamerto Cabrera in Playa Honda.
All people, organizations, and entities interested in testing an adapted vehicle will be able to do so from February 19 to March 9, from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Involvement of the dealer network
Ford highlights that its dealer network has also been involved in the Ford Adapta program, with the collaboration of the ONCE Foundation, by improving access to its facilities and specializing its employees.
This continuous training aims to facilitate a personalized purchase and after-sales experience that helps customers determine the adaptations and the vehicle that best suits their needs, their disability, or reduced mobility.
Bringing driving closer to people with disabilities
The objective of the program is to facilitate the testing of an adapted vehicle, before buying it, to people with disabilities, their families, or caregivers who need to transport people with disabilities or reduced mobility, a circumstance in which Ford and the ONCE Foundation are pioneers.
According to the company, almost 8,500 vehicle owners have requested registration in the Ford Protect Adapta program since its launch in 2014. This is a service that offers coverage (mechanical protection and personal assistance) to the owner, as well as to the rest of their family (spouse or partner, children, and parents of the owner).
The vehicles of the Ford Adapta tour have different modifications that allow covering the needs of 80 percent of people with disabilities authorized to drive.
In addition, thanks to the use of Ford technologies, these vehicles have extra assistance systems for drivers such as the assisted parking system, the obstacle detection system, or voice control, through which interested people can arrange an appointment to test the adapted vehicles at the nearest dealership.
