The Ford Transit Custom has always been a popular vehicle among commercial shoppers in places like Europe and the UK, where fleets tend to gravitate toward vans, rather than pickups, as is the case in the U.S. In fact, the Transit Custom has long been a regular at the top of the sales charts in both of those places, and that successful run has only continued following the debut of the all-new, redesigned version. Thus, it’s no surprise to learn that the Ford Transit Custom once again topped the light commercial vehicle sales charts in the UK in September 2024, too.
According to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), the Ford Transit Custom once again topped the light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment in the UK last month with 7,570 sales, which left a sizable gap between it and the Transit, which recorded 4,518 sales in September. This only extends the Transit Custom’s lead through the first nine months of the year as well, bringing its year-to-date tally up to 35,517 units – once again, far ahead of the Transit at 23,517 vans, as well as every one of its competitors, too. Not much has changed over that time span, as the Ford Transit Custom ranked first in LCV sales in the UK in the first half of 2024, along with July and August, too.
As for the overall LCV market in the UK, sales rose by 8.3 percent last month, producing the best September result in four years. However, EV sales dropped by 0.5 percent – marking the sixth month in 2024 they’ve dropped – which doesn’t bode well for the country’s 2024 zero-emissions targets, nor more stricter rules set to take place in the coming years.
“Growing overall demand for new vans is encouraging as the sector, a barometer of the UK economy’s health, continues to recover post Covid,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “But while manufacturers have invested huge sums delivering zero emission technology and incentivizing its sale, consistently low demand is constraining industry from meeting Britain’s ambitious zero emission vehicles sales mandates. For van fleets to go green at pace they need the immediate encouragement – and long-term certainty – of fiscal incentives and van-specific charging infrastructure. Without these, UK decarbonization ambitions cannot be achieved at the world-leading speed demanded by regulation.”
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