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Transits no longer in short supply as Ford confesses to lost sales
Date: 22 January 2016 | Author:
Ford is over the supply shortages that it claimed harmed its 2015 sales results, despite the brand still being clear at the top of the LCV registration charts.
"We were short of Transits all year. We underestimated where the industry would go and we underestimated the mix," admitted Ford sales director Kevin Griffin, who said customers wanting front-wheel drive 2.0-tonne Transits and high-series Transit Custom models, as well as those wanting double-cab-in-van vehicles, have had to wait "too long".
"The last Transit sold lower series, but now more people want Limited models," he said. "It has cost us some volume because some customers can't wait. A commercial vehicle goes down and they have got to replace it, so yes, we have lost some sales."
Ford will be moving to new powertrains later this year in order to meet the Euro6 emissions legislation coming in September. Known as Panther engines, they will go into Transit, Transit Customer and Ranger models, and Griffin claimed they will provide Ford with "a competitive edge", as well as offering an automatic gearbox, something not available with the current 2.2-litre diesel. That will allow the firm to get back into markets it hasn't been operating in, such as the supermarket home delivery or ambulance sectors.
