Ford recently announced it will be offering five fully electric LCVs by 2024, and one of them was spied testing by spy photographers in its ICE-powered form. We are talking about the new generation of the Ford Transit Custom commercial vehicle that will also boast the Tourneo Custom passenger van and serve as the basis for the next VW Transporter.
The camouflaged prototype caught in
Southern Europe is wearing the production body and lighting units. The van retains
the sporty character line, the toned-up fenders, and the characteristic shape
of the window on the profile. However, it is not a facelift but a new
generation with all body panels being overhauled. This is more evident on the
front where we find slimmer headlights connecting with Ford’s new grille, and a
redesigned bumper with vertically-arranged intakes.
The current generation of the
Transit/Tourneo Custom debuted back in 2012, with a rather smart facelift
following in 2017. In terms of variants, Ford could continue offering the more
rugged Trail / Active trims which appeared in 2020 with a Raptor-like appearance,
plus the Nugget campers. For those who are not familiar with Ford’s LCV range,
the Custom sits above the Courier and the Connect nameplates in terms of size,
and below the flagship Transit.
The new range is expected to include
petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric powertrains
with the latter being confirmed by Ford. The new generation of the 1-tonne van
will also serve as the base for the new VW Transporter, as part of the
collaboration between the commercial vehicle departments of Ford and
Volkswagen. It has been confirmed that the Ford Transit/Tourneo Custom will
debut in 2023. Production will commence in the first half of 2023 at the
Kocaeli plant in Turkey.
