Ford Teams With BraunAbility for Explorer-Based Wheelchair-Accessible SUV
Ford and BraunAbility have teamed up to produce the BraunAbility MXV™, an Explorer-based and wheelchair-accessible sport utility vehicle that is the first of its kind. Ford and BraunAbility came together to create the MXV as a means to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“For our first-ever wheelchair-accessible SUV, it was important we worked with the best,” said Nick Gutwein, BraunAbility president and CEO. “We wanted to create a vehicle that personifies freedom and independence, and the Ford Explorer provides the ultimate base to achieve that.”
The BraunAbility MXV embodies freedom with patented sliding-door technology and a lighted in-floor ramp, and its ample and roomy interior personifies independence by allowing for better wheelchair mobility. The MXV also includes a sliding shifter, removable driver and passenger seats, integrated key fob that controls both the door and the ramp, and a front seat base design that makes it much more comfortable for wheelchair-bound drivers.
The BraunAbility MXV is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine, which returns an EPA-estimated 24 highway mpg and allows for an estimated 5,000-pound maximum tow capacity. Production on the MXV will begin this month at the BraunAbility manufacturing facility in Minamac, Indiana.
Gallery: BraunAbility MXV Production
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