On the completion of 25 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act, BraunAbility and Ford Motor Company are introducing a vehicle with the potential to change the face of an industry and bring greater mobility to people in wheelchairs.
The BraunAbility MXV - a wheelchair-accessible vehicle based on Ford Explorer - gives wheelchair users the quality and dependability of a BraunAbility mobility vehicle and the adventurous, "unstoppable" spirit of the world's best-selling sport utility vehicle. The BraunAbility MXV is the company's first-ever volume production SUV offering.
Named for founder Ralph Braun, the Winamac, Indiana-based company has revolutionised what independence means to wheelchair users, establishing itself as a world leader in automotive mobility products, including wheelchair-accessible vehicles and lifts for consumer, commercial and taxi markets. Braun, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 73, was honored as a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama in 2012.
The MXV concept vehicle was introduced earlier this year in Daytona, Florida, when BraunAbility celebrated the moment by promising the first production MXV would be donated to wounded veteran Mike Delancey. Delancey, a United States Marine paralysed by a sniper's bullet while serving in Iraq in 2006, survived 42 days in intensive care, and is now working to open Wounded Warrior's Abilities Ranch - a place where veterans can strengthen body and mind through exercise and recreation.
Production of the new MXV will begin in August in BraunAbility's 170,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Winamac, with vehicles available in early fall. The BraunAbility MXV will be available for purchase at more than 200 authorised BraunAbility mobility dealers throughout the United States.
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