Ford said December was its best month for van sales since 1999, and the new Transit van that is now available for school bus production is a big reason why the manufacturer is the segment leader for the 36th year in a row.
While the Ford Transit came in sixth place overall with nearly 20,500 total units sold last year, according to the website GoodCarBadCar.com, Ford said half of those sales came last month alone compared to the 10,418 total units sold during the model’s initial six months in production.
A Ford E-450 chassis for a Trans Tech Bus model, as displayed at the 2014 NAPT Summit. The E-Series, in production since 1961, will continue to be a school bus option this year while being phased out for other vehicles, a Ford spokeswoman said.Ford’s E-Series, which the Transit is replacing for most commercial applications in 2015 besides school bus, remained the market’s best-selling commercial van in 2014 at more than 103,200 units, outdistancing the Chevrolet Express by nearly 24,000 units. In third place was the new, smaller Ford Transit Connect van at about 43,200 units followed by the GMC Savana at more than 26,600 units.
“December was an exciting month for us, as we sold more vans in the United States than in any single month since June 1999,” said Yaroslav Hetman, Ford’s brand manager for the Transit, Transit Connect and E-Series. “It is clear that our new vans are connecting with our customers’ needs for modern, flexible work vehicles.”
GoodCarBadCar.com reported that December sales were a 15 percent improvement from 2013, up to a total of 30,500 units. Overall, the website said more than 288,300 full-size commercial vans sold last year, up more than 11 percent from 2013, and the entire segment is “booming across the board.”
The Ford Transit is available in three roof heights, two wheel bases, three body lengths and three engines, which Ford said can be combined into 47 possible body configurations from the factory to meet specific needs.
Ford said the Transit offers up to 487 cubic feet of cargo space, 75 percent more than the largest E-Series, and is designed with upfitters in mind, as they are ready to accept many aftermarket rack and bin systems.
Maximum payload for the Transit is 4,560 pounds when properly equipped, Ford added. Available powertrains include two gasoline-powered V6 engines and one diesel-powered inline five-cylinder. Ford said the available 3.5-liter EcoBoost® provides 46 percent better EPA-estimated fuel economy than the premium gas engine available in the E-Series van.
“We are seeing a resurgence in the van market as customers increasingly take advantage of the versatility, efficiency and low cost of ownership of Transit and Transit Connect,” added Hetman.
