Utilimaster is a subsidiary of

The Shyft Group The Shyft Group (), formerly known as Spartan Motors, is an American automobile design company that designs, engineers and manufactures specialty chassis, specialty vehicles, truck bodies and aftermarket parts for the recreational vehicle (RV), ...

that manufactures multi-stop trucks. It was founded in 1973 in

Wakarusa, Indiana Wakarusa is a town in Harrison and Olive townships in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,758 at the 2010 census. Wakarusa is a small farming and manufacturing community located on Indiana 19 just north of Indiana 119. ...

. Previously owned by Holiday Rambler and then

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

, it was bought by senior management along with 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. The Road Rescue division was sold to Allied Specialty Vehicles in 2010 by Spartan. Utilimaster bought Union City Body Company, a competitor from

Union City, Indiana Union City is a city in Wayne Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. , the city had a population of 3,584. Union City was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, a forerunner of the Pennsylvania Rai ...

, for an undisclosed amount on November 16, 2005. Union City Body had bought the General Motors chassis and commercial truck business in 1998.

Products

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 A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

known from the K-car. 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. With a

GVWR Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity. Curb or kerb weight Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...

the vehicle's payload was with either engine fitted. 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 and was offered with either Ford gasoline V8 engines or Cummins' 4BT four-cylinder diesel. In 2011, Isuzu and Utilimaster announced plans for Utilimaster to assemble the

Isuzu Reach The Isuzu Reach is a walk-through van built atop an Isuzu NPR chassis, with a body developed by Utilimaster. It was first presented in March 2011 at the National Truck Equipment Association's "Work Truck Show". The van is only sold in North Amer ...

in their

, plant. It is a commercial

step van Multi-stop trucks (also known as walk-in delivery or step vans) are a type of light-duty and medium-duty truck created for local deliveries to residences and businesses. They are designed to be driven either sitting down or standing up, and oft ...

with much better aerodynamics and a more fuel-efficient engine than other walk-in vans in the class, offering markedly better fuel efficiency. On February 14, 2012, Utilimaster announced it would move from Wakarusa, Indiana, to nearby

Bristol, Indiana Bristol is a town in Washington Township, Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,602 at the 2010 census. History Bristol was platted about 1835, making it one of the oldest towns in Elkhart County. It was named after the ...

. 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 Velocity was the most fuel efficient walk-in van when introduced. 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. 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.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.utilimaster.com/ Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Indiana Automotive companies of the United States Companies based in Elkhart County, Indiana Contract vehicle manufacturers