Ford announces production of seven millionth Transit; popular nameplate launched same year
first person walked in space.
first person walked in space.
- Ford produces seven millionth Transit; parked end to end they would stretch from London to Sydney, Australia and back again
- Milestone celebrated today at the official opening of Ford’s strategic partner’s Jiangling Motors Corp’s new commercial vehicle assembly plant in Nanchang, China
- Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally opens Jiangling Xiaolan facility that offers incremental volume to the Chinese market
- Next year, Ford will build and sell the Transit in North America for the first time and extend the model to 118 customer markets across six continents; targets 400,000 annual global sales by 2016 – a Transit sold every 80 seconds
- All-new Transit in Europe is scheduled for launch in 2014
NANCHANG, China, June 20, 2013 –
Ford Motor Company today announced production of the seven millionth
Transit, the popular commercial van launched in 1965 in Europe and now
being extended to 118 markets across six continents.
Lined up end to end, the seven million Transits would stretch from London to Sydney, Australia, and back again.
The
milestone was celebrated at the official opening today of a new Transit
assembly plant in Nanchang, China, attended by Ford President and CEO
Alan Mulally. The Jiangling Xiaolan facility is the result of a (U.S.)
$300 million investment by Ford’s strategic partner Jiangling Motors
Corp (JMC) and produces JMC-branded vehicles and Ford-branded vehicles
for the growing Chinese market.
“The Ford
Transit plays a significant role in the lives and jobs of millions of
people,” Mulally said. “From getting workers to a building site, to
delivering important packages, or even rushing a patient to the
hospital, people all over the world rely on Ford Transits to get the job
done.”
Launched in the same year that the
first person walked in space, the Transit made an immediate impact,
providing practical support to the booming economies of Europe. Since
then, Ford has developed a vast range of bodystyles and variants: from
the parcel van, through tipper trucks and campers, to outrageous
one-offs, including the Cosworth V8-powered Supervans.
The
all-new 2-tonne Transit scheduled for European launch in spring 2014
will sit atop a redesigned and expanded range of models for Europe that
also includes the Transit Custom, Transit Connect and Transit Courier.
Production
of the Transit has accelerated so that after passing the first million
sales milestones in 1976, it passed the next ones in 1985, 1994, 2000,
2005 and 2010.
The Transit also has introduced a
list of technology innovations for commercial vehicles to help improve
performance, comfort and safety, from features like side loading doors,
halogen headlights and radial ply tyres, to direct injection diesel
engines, high security locks and standard anti-lock brakes.
“The
Ford Transit continues to innovate, helping customers carry more goods,
reduce their running costs and arrive reliably and safely at their
destination,” Mulally said.
Transit production
first expanded beyond Europe in 1997 with new facilities in Nanchang,
China, and Hai Duong, Vietnam. The new Jiangling Xiaolan plant more than
doubles JMC’s annual commercial vehicle production capacity to 545,000
units from 245,000 units. JMC, which builds the Ford Transit for the
Chinese market, is 30 per cent owned by Ford.
The
global expansion of Transit production and sales takes a further
significant step in mid-2014 as the all-new Transit enters North America
for the first time. The North American Transit will be built in Kansas
City, Mo.
In total, Ford expects to sell more
than 400,000 1-tonne and 2-tonne Transits each year by 2016, the
equivalent of selling one vehicle every 80 seconds.
The
all-new 2-tonne Ford Transit is scheduled for launch in spring 2014 to
bring a new level of capability and versatility to the medium commercial
van market, with a comprehensive range of body styles and derivatives
delivering class-leading load-carrying ability and cost-of-ownership,
with exceptional durability.
In Europe, the
2-tonne Transit and 1-tonne Transit Custom vehicles head up a
transformed and extended range of four all-new Transit models on sale by
mid-2014. This includes the all-new Transit Connect offering payloads
of 550-1000 kilograms, and the compact all-new Transit Courier with
maximum payload of 660 kilograms.
"The Ford
Transit has a superb heritage and an even brighter future,” Mulally
said. “As we pass this incredible seven million milestone, we look
forward to helping even more customers get their businesses moving
forward with a Transit.”
# # #
*
Estimated length of seven million Ford Transits calculated based on an
average vehicle length of 5.0 m. Flying distance from London to Sydney,
Australia is approximately 17,000km (10,500 miles)
Source: Ford.com
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