![]() The Transit was a departure from the European commercial vehicles of the day with its American-inspired styling-its broad track gave it a huge advantage in carrying capacity over comparable vehicles of the day. 's revolutionary step was to combine the engineering efforts of and Ford of Germany to create a prototype for the Ford of Europe of today-previously the two subsidiaries had avoided competing in one another's domestic markets but had been direct competitors in other European markets. Ford switched to a front-engined configuration, as did the 1950s by Bedford with their well-regarded CA series vans. ![]() In a UK market segment then dominated by the, Ford's Thames competitor, because of its restricted load area, failed to attract fleet users in sufficient numbers. The Transit was introduced to replace the, a small mid-engined van noted for its narrow track which was in competition with similar-looking but larger vehicles from the and vans and 's PB ranges. This factory had ample capacity, since the produced there had little success (total production 8000 in 6 years).Īlthough the Transit sold well in the Netherlands, it was not enough to save the factory, which closed in December 1981. Transits were produced in Amsterdam for the local market from the mid-1970s until the end of 1981. Transits were also produced in Ford's factory in Belgium and also Turkey. The van was produced initially at Ford's facility in Berkshire, England (a former Second World War aircraft factory which had produced fighters), but demand outstripped the capability of the plant, and production was moved to until closure in 2013 in favour of the Turkish factory. This generation had the longest production run of any Transit to date, staying largely unaltered for 12 years until the major facelift of 1978, with overall production lasting for over 20 years before finally being replaced by the all-new VE6 platform in 1986. The first generation Transit, or the Transit Mark I in the United Kingdom, was introduced in October 1965, taking over directly from the. ![]() 1971 facelift with rounded rectangular grille. The Transit drives Ford's 57 percent share of the market in the USA. ![]() As of 2016, the Transit is the best-selling van of any type in the United States, minivan sales included. Upon production in North America, the Transit won second place in 's 2015 ' award, behind the newly introduced mid-size pickup and ahead of the new. While initially designed for the European market, the Ford Transit is now produced in Asia, North America, and Europe for worldwide buyers. ![]()
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