• The partnership currently comprises 25 Ford Ranger units and 20 Ford Tourneo Titanium X vehicles
  • Through the Ford Pro™ Converter Programme, each vehicle in the AVBOB fleet has been meticulously transformed by Ford-approved convertors
  • Each completed vehicle is also issued with a Homologation Certificate, ensuring full legal compliance in its converted form 

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, 27 May 2026 – Ford South Africa has confirmed a new fleet partnership with AVBOB, Africa’s largest mutual assurance society, providing one stop funeral insurance and burial services, delivering a bespoke fleet of vehicles designed to support dignified, respectful and seamless funeral services across the country. As a long-term investor and champion of South African progress, Ford’s commitment goes beyond mobility. It is invested in the fabric of the country, ensuring that essential services have the tools they need to support families across generations, regardless of location.

The collaboration is rooted in a shared ambition to raise standards within the funeral services sector. Like Ford, AVBOB has been in the South African market for over 100 years, the organisation continues to seek partners who can match its commitment to reliability, dignity and operational excellence.

The partnership currently comprises 25 Ford Ranger units and 20 Ford Tourneo Titanium X vehicles, all professionally converted into premium hearses tailored to AVBOB’s exact specifications. These vehicles have been developed to meet the unique operational and cultural requirements of funeral services in South Africa, where funerals are not only moments of remembrance, but deeply significant occasions of heritage and community connection.

“There has been a strong willingness to understand our unique requirements and adapt accordingly,” says Lemmy Magardie, AVBOB’s Manager: Fleet and Assets. “This includes alignment on service expectations, maintenance planning and operational support. The partnership reflects a shared ambition to not only meet industry standards, but to redefine them through innovation and collaboration. These vehicles enhance our ability to extend our reach while upholding the high standards our clients expect and introduces a more versatile and capable fleet solution into a traditionally conservative sector,” says Magardie.

Through the Ford Pro™ Converter Programme, each vehicle in the AVBOB fleet has been meticulously transformed by Ford-approved converters, ensuring that every modification aligns with Ford’s stringent quality, safety and durability standards. This enables AVBOB to operate a fleet that is both highly specialised and fully supported, without compromising performance or safety.

The Ford Pro™ Converter Programme enables approved partners to carry out specialised conversions across selected Ford Ranger, Everest and Transit product lines to meet a wide range of commercial and industrial needs. All conversion methods and partners are carefully vetted and audited by Ford, ensuring that the integrity of the base vehicle is maintained throughout the process.

Importantly, these conversions do not compromise vehicle safety or performance. All non-modified components continue to be covered under Ford’s full factory warranty, while the conversion itself is supported by the approved converter’s warranty, aligned to a four-year or 120 000 km coverage period. Each completed vehicle is also issued with a Homologation Certificate, ensuring full legal compliance.

In South Africa, funeral services present a distinct set of challenges. Many ceremonies take place in rural or remote areas where road conditions can be unpredictable and often demanding. In this context, the Ford Ranger XL 4x4 provides a highly practical solution, offering the durability, ground clearance and capability required to navigate rough terrain with confidence, while ensuring a smooth and respectful journey.

Complementing this is the Ford Tourneo Titanium X, which is ideally suited to urban environments. With its refined ride quality and premium feature set – including elements such as a panoramic-style moonroof – the Ford Tourneo Titanium X offers a more contemporary experience, aligning with the expectations of modern, city-based funeral services.

Beyond capability and reliability, vehicle aesthetics play an important role in funeral services, where presentation contributes to the dignity and significance of the occasion. Recognising this, the Ford Ranger XL units in the fleet have been enhanced with a chrome grille, upgraded wheels and side steps as part of our Ford Accessories offering, elevating their visual appeal while maintaining their inherent toughness. These design elements help create a sense of occasion, ensuring that each vehicle reflects the respect and care associated with the service it supports.

From a fleet and asset management perspective, the collaboration has been progressive and solutions-driven. It reflects Ford South Africa’s continued commitment to providing purpose-built mobility solutions that meet the evolving needs of its customers – supporting not only industries and businesses, but also the communities they