Outfitter Rolls Out Wheelchair-Ready SUV

Braun Corp. will begin selling a wheelchair-accessible vehicle based on Ford Motor Co.'s popular Explorer SUV this autumn. The Winamac, Ind.-based company partnered with Ford to develop the new BraunAbility MXV, which is its first SUV offering. Braun will build the modified Explorer at its 170,000-sq-ft Indiana facility, and sell it through 200 authorized BraunAbility mobility dealers in the U.S.

The BraunAbility MXV includes patented sliding-door technology, removable driver and passenger seats and a powered in-floor ramp. Wheelchair users will be able to drive the vehicle from a wheelchair, or ride as a passenger. The Explorer's middle-row seat has been removed to maximize interior space, which Braun says can accommodate most common power wheelchair models. Other features include a 54-inch tall sliding door, 28-inch wide ramp, sliding gear shifter for increased space, space-saving front seat design, transfer seat capability and an integrated key fob that operates the ramp and sliding door. In addition to the Explorer-based MXV, Braun sells a number of other wheelchair accessible models under the BraunAbility brand including modified Chrysler, Dodge, Honda and Toyota minivans. Braun was founded in 1972 by Ralph Braun, who was diagnosed with muscular atrophy and lost the ability to walk at the age of 15. An early pioneer in mobility systems for people with disabilities, Braun is credited with developing the first motorized wheelchair in 1962 and wheelchair lift in 1966. He also owned a NASCAR team, Braun Racing, that was sold in 2010 and became Turner Motorsports. Recognized as a Champion of Change by President Obama in 2012, Ralph Braun died a year later at the age of 73.