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Productivity
Sixty years. Over thirteen million vans. That’s one produced every two and a half minutes on average.
Few vehicles have celebrated six decades of continuous production. Even fewer have made such an impact on the world around them.
Throughout last year, we reflected on both the special contribution of our iconic Transit since its introduction in 1965, and the exciting future ahead of our industry-defining, game-changing commercial vehicle.
Significantly, the past year was much more than a celebration of a van.
Most importantly, it was a celebration of Transit’s customers – the hard-working businesses that have served our communities over many decades and relied upon Transit to help them succeed.
It was a celebration of Transit’s army of fans and enthusiasts, and the millions of people whose lives have been touched by our van in many different ways.
And it was a celebration of the people that understood the needs of our customers, and helped design and build the Transit to be more productive with each new generation.
The passion and enthusiasm I saw for Transit made me proud of its history, but also excited for a future with so much potential to deliver greater productivity and create more memories than ever before.
A global celebration
Events to celebrate Transit’s anniversary in Europe and around the world were a testament to energy and affection surrounding this unique product.
More than 3,000 people attended our first-ever Transit Festival in the UK, with many bringing their own Transits of all shapes and sizes to share experiences and know-how with like-minded enthusiasts and operators.
It was truly rewarding to witness first-hand the Transit community thriving, and to be part of our history-making procession as we set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS TM title for the Largest Parade of Vans is an experience I’ll never forget.
This colourful convoy of modern day and historic Transit’s perfectly illustrated what the celebrations were about. Whether a 1965 Mk1 or the very latest E-Transit, 1 they all deserved their place to mark 60 years of an icon.
At our Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium, a huge celebration allowed owners and operators to showcase their vehicles.
In Norway, proud Transit owners brought their vehicles together to celebrate the van’s 60th anniversary, while the annual Ford family day in the Netherlands – attended by 800 visitors – also marked the occasion.
Similar events in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Spain gave Transit communities across Europe the chance to come together.
Passion across the generations
Seeing these celebrations take place made me prouder than ever to be a part of the Transit team and the van’s incredible history – just like thousands of Ford employees past and present.
Employees like the Days and the Routledges – multi-generation Transit families whose careers are intertwined with the Transit story. Hearing from them, it was clear that developing Transit around the needs of our customers has always been a vocation, not just a job.
It's that pride that has helped Transit transcend becoming just another van.
The road ahead
So, what does the future hold for Transit?
Wind the clock back 65 years and few people could have predicted the advances in technology, safety, and connectivity that we have seen since.
And even fewer could have predicted Transit’s most far-fetched accomplishments – from starting first time after spending six months buried in snow 3,000 metres up a mountain pass, to appearing in more than 7,600 films and TV productions.
But one thing is certain: Future economies will continue to need vans at their heart, and Transit will be there, offering innovative new ways to boost productivity for our customers, while providing vital support to the communities they serve.
Today’s Transit is at the centre of a connected ecosystem of software, services, and solutions delivering real-world uptime improvements for customers.
Our future generations of Ford Pro connected services will unlock even more of Transit’s potential – delivering advanced telematics, charging, servicing and finance solutions to help Transit operators maximise the productivity of their vehicles and their businesses.
Transit has come a long way in 60 years, while always staying true to its core mission of helping hard-working businesses – from sole traders to global fleets – get more done.
It’s exciting to think about what Transit, and the businesses that rely on it, will achieve during the next 60 years.
Hans Schep is general manager, Ford Pro, Europe
1 Up to 402 km driving range based on full charge of E-Transit with enhanced range option. Estimated range using Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Figures shown are for comparability purposes and should only be compared with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. The actual range may vary due to various factors (e.g. weather conditions, driving style, route profile, vehicle condition, age and condition of the lithium-ion battery).
