New Ford Transit Custom Wins ‘International Van of the Year’ - Jury Praises Car-like Drive Quality, Low Cost of Ownership

• Ford’s all-new Transit Custom wins “International Van of the Year” trophy at the Hanover IAA Commercial Vehicle Show
• Transit Custom garners 117 of a possible 133 points
• All-new Transit Custom is the fourth Transit to win the award, following in the footsteps of the Transit (2001), Transit Connect (2003) and Transit (2007)
• Jury of 24 specialist journalists praise all-new Transit Custom for its styling, driveability, load-carrying ability, safety features and low cost of ownership

HANOVER, Germany, Sept. 19, 2012 – The all-new Ford Transit Custom was named “International Van of the Year 2013” – to become the fourth member of the Transit family to win the highly prized award – at the Hanover IAA Commercial Vehicle Show.

The Transit Custom garnered 117 out of a possible 133 points, from the jury of 24 specialist journalists, more than the combined totals of the second-placed Dacia Dokker and third-placed Mercedes-Benz Citan.

It follows in the footsteps of the Transit (2001), Transit Connect (2003) and Transit (2007) to register a record-breaking fourth win for the Ford Transit family in the award’s 22-year history.

“Transit Custom is a new kind of 1-tonne van – hard working and practical, but great to look at and great to drive,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president of Product Development, Ford of Europe.

“Combining legendary Transit toughness and economy with car-like design and features was a really tough task, but our engineers delivered,” she added. “We are proud their efforts have been recognised by such a significant award.”

The 2013 trophy was presented following the first press day of the Hanover show. Ford is displaying at the show all-new Transit Custom, which represents a completely new generation of 1-tonne commercial vehicles, alongside the all-new Transit and all-new Transit Connect. Ford recently revealed it is harnessing its global platform strategy and completely redesigning its entire commercial vehicle line-up for Europe over the next two years.

Transit Custom offers class-leading load-carrying ability, including a number of innovative loadspace features such as the load-through hatch in the bulkhead for extra-long items, and the integrated roof rack which can be folded away when not in use. The driver also benefits from the latest Ford technologies like Lane Keeping Aid and Ford SYNC.

Class-leading fuel economy with CO₂ emissions from 174 g/km is delivered by the improved 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel available with Auto-Start-Stop, while cost-of-ownership is further minimised by the longest service intervals in the class at two-years/50,000 km/30,000 miles.*

“The new Transit sets new standards with regard to styling, drivability and load-carrying ability,” said Pieter Wieman, chairman of the International Van of the Year jury. “Ford has succeeded in building a complete new light van on its global CV platform and with the use of proven driveline and chassis components.

“The van has a car-like exterior and interior, driving dynamics which are very close to a passenger car, and notwithstanding that, is a very functional and practical vehicle. Ford has paid a lot of attention to the active and passive safety aspects of the new model, and to reducing the cost of ownership,” Wieman said.

The all-new Transit Custom is now starting to go on sale in major markets across Europe.

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*All fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions figures in g/km are from officially approved tests in accordance with EC Directive 93/116/EC, conducted with base equipment level vehicles.  Fuel economy figures quoted are based on the European Fuel Economy Directive EU 80/1268/EEC and will differ from fuel economy drive cycle results in other regions of the world.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 168,000 employees and about 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 51 individual markets and employs approximately 66,000 employees. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford of Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 22 manufacturing facilities, including joint ventures. The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.