A convoy made up of the Transit Courier, Transit Connect, Transit Custom and Transit departed the CV Show last week on a tour of all Ford’s commercial vehicle dealerships. The golden vans will be on the road until August 9, which signals 50 years since the first vehicle left the production line.
Since its launch in 1965, the Transit has been transformed from one vehicle into an entire family of four vehicles with almost nine million Transits worldwide. Today, the Transit is as popular as ever with sales of 16,497 in March 2015 (up 43 percent on last year), although this includes more models.
“The Ford Transit has touched the lives of most of us,” said Mark Ovenden, chairman and managing director, Ford of Britain. “From house moves to moving people, the Ford Transit is an essential tool to get the job done. It has become a mobile office or workshop for some – and loved by us all.”
The first five generations of Transits were manufactured in the UK, although this shifted to Turkey in 2000. Today, Turkey manufacturers the Transit Courier, Transit Custom and the two tonne Transit, although the Transit Connect is built in Spain.
“Ford’s Transit family continues to lead the way in innovation,” Ovenden said. “With 50 years of van sales leadership in the UK under its belt, the new four-van Transit range is looking forward to its next half century.”
