• Ford Transit was the best-selling cargo van family* globally in 2015, with nearly 400,000 vans registered, based on IHS Markit global new vehicle registration data for calendar year-end 2015
• Ford is well established as Europe’s best-selling commercial vehicle brand, based on strong demand for Transit, the No. 1 nameplate in the region’s medium commercial van segment
• Transit is the best-selling van in America with sales up 31 per cent year-to-date; and is the best-selling nameplate in the light bus and van segment in China, based on data from China Insurance Information Technology Company

Fleets and tradespeople around the world are increasingly turning to Ford vans to get the job done, making the Ford Transit family the best-selling lineup of  cargo vans on the planet.

Ford Transit was the best-selling cargo van family* globally in 2015, with nearly 400,000 vans registered, based on IHS Markit global new vehicle registration data for calendar year-end 2015.

“We are focused on building on our clear global leadership in trucks, vans and commercial vehicles,” says Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president, Global Product Development, and chief technical officer. “While other manufacturers only offer their van lineups regionally, Ford has cracked the code on developing global van architecture that can be customised to regional needs.”

Transit is building on a 50-plus-year legacy in Europe, where it has been the best-selling van in its segment in the U.K. since 1984, according to IHS Markit registration data. In the past 25 months, Ford has seen its commercial vehicle market share grow from 10.8 per cent to 12.9 per cent in Europe.

This makes Ford the No. 1-selling commercial vehicle brand in Europe for the first time in 18 years, thanks to continued growing demand for its completely new and expanded Transit range – including Transit, Transit Custom, Transit Connect and Transit Courier – based on IHS Markit commercial vehicle registrations.

Transit Custom sales in Europe grew 23 per cent to 89,800 units year-on-year during the first three-quarters of 2016, and Transit sales grew 17 per cent to 64,800 units during the same period.**

“Ford sold more than 247,000 commercial vehicles in the first three quarters of 2016 – an 18.6 per cent increase year-on-year – and our Transit models are the cornerstone of that success,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe. “Equipped with an all-new generation of powerful Ford EcoBlue diesel engines, Transit and Transit Custom now offer even greater load-hauling capability alongside improved fuel-efficiency for reduced running costs.”

The success of Transit has also propelled Ford to become the top seller of commercial cargo vans in the U.S, accounting for 40 per cent of the full-size commercial van market in the country through September – up from 36 per cent in 2015. Strong demand for Transit is putting Ford on track for its best year for U.S. van sales since 1978, based on Ford-reported data. Transit now outsells even America’s best-selling minivan, based on industry-reported sales.  

Overall industry sales for Class 1-3 vans in the U.S. and Mexico are expected to continue growing, according to work truck industry association NTEA, which predicts industry sales will increase 10 per cent in 2016 compared with 2015.

Transit is the best-selling nameplate in the light bus and van segment in China, on track to become the best-selling nameplate there for 2016, based on data from China Insurance Information Technology Company.

Deep roots for Ford commercial cargo van leadership
Ford’s commercial cargo van legacy began when the first Transit left the production line in Langley, England, Aug. 9, 1965. Transit became a favourite in Europe, and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Ford is expanding its Transit lineup in China as part of its relationship with Jiangling Motors Corporation, which started in August 1995, with the first Ford Transit produced there in December 1997. Production of the all-new Transit Kombi started in September. 

More than 8 million Transit and Transit Custom vehicles have been built, as the range grew from a single model more than half a century ago to an entire family of commercial cargo vehicles. Lined up end-to-end, 50 years of Transit vans would circle the globe. A customer buys a new Transit every 180 seconds on average, based on Ford sales and production data.

Transit debuts Ford EcoBlue diesel
Ford earlier this year introduced the new Transit and Transit Custom, powered by state-of-the-art Ford EcoBlue diesel engine technology that delivers significant cost of ownership and performance benefits, with fuel efficiency improved by up to 13 per cent and low-end torque by 20 per cent.

Sophisticated new driver assistance technologies for both models include:

• Pre-Collision Assist emergency braking system – the first in the segment to feature Pedestrian Detection technology – that reduces the severity of some frontal collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians, or helps drivers avoid some impacts altogether
• An upgraded Electronic Stability Control system that provides an enhanced suite of functions to improve vehicle stability in extreme driving situations including Side Wind Stabilisation – a new system that applies the brakes on one side of the vehicle to reduce the effect of a sudden side wind gust on the vehicle’s path

Also offered is a new six-speed automatic transmission for Transit and Transit Custom; and an enhanced all-wheel drive system and advanced SYNC 3 connectivity for Transit.

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*Transit family-based volumes include Ford Transit, Transit Custom and JMC Transit

**Ford of Europe reports its sales for the European traditional markets where it is represented through National Sales Companies. They are: Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland