Ford will begin offering a dealer-installed telematics option for its commercial vehicles in Europe in the fourth quarter under a partnership with Telogis announced by the two companies.

The product, named Ford Telematics powered by Telogis, is similar to Ford's Crew Chief telematics option offered in North America, according to the company. Ford will initially roll out the option in the larger markets including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain and eventually offer it throughout Europe. The product will not be offered in western Russia this year.

Ford will offer the option on several commercial vehicles, including the Transit, Transit Connect, Transit Custom, Transit Courier, and Ranger mid-size pickup. Ford Telematics powered by Telogis will be available at Transit service centers and other Ford dealerships. The option would be covered by a dealer warranty.

The system would be installed at the dealership, and fleets could sign up for various service plans through Telogis.

The option provides commercial fleet managers detailed proprietary vehicle data via a cloud-based software system that's accessible through internet-connected devices. Installed hardware and sensors collect driving data such as vehicle speed and harsh braking, as well as proprietary data such as seatbelt status, airbag status, and tire pressure alerts. Fleet managers can view this data and set alerts for oil-service intervals and other diagnostic codes, said Greg Dziewit, vice president OEM business for Telogis.

"Making this offering available to Ford’s European customers will help them run more efficient, cost-effective and safer fleets and transform the way they do business," Dziewit said. "This level of diagnostic data is not widely available in the industry."

Ford has been offering its Crew Chief system in partnership with Telogis in North America since 2011.

“Ford of Europe is delivering on customer demand for visibility, cost savings and safety with Ford Telematics powered by Telogis,” said Bill Frykman, Ford's manager of business and product development. “Telogis is our trusted partner, and the success we’ve had with Ford customers in North America made them the only choice for Ford’s European platform offering.”

The companies jointly announced the offering on Sept. 22 at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hannover, Germany.

By Paul Clinton