In Europe, the Ford Transit light commercial vehicle has become a staple in its market segment and is set to become a new benchmark in South Africa early in 2013.

First introduced in 1965, the Ford Transit van has been the best-selling light-commercial vehicle in the European market for 40 years.

According to Ford, the Transit has become known for certain characteristics, including an ‘impressive’ load capacity and cost-effective maintenance and running costs.

With the intention of starting off on the right foot, the South African arm of this American automotive giant will not be importing original, older Transit models. Instead, the company will introduce its new seventh generation 1t Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom, which were first unveiled at the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, UK.

With features based on the original, highly successful ‘tried-and-trusted design recipe’, the latest, modern versions offer all-new, efficient drive trains, a further driver-optimised interior and styling cues from the pervading Kinect Design styling philosophy.

The Transit Custom delivers a multi-faceted workhorse, while the Tourneo is suited to the transportation of people and can seat up to eight people.

While the Transit Custom’s 1 t cargo capacity is easily accessible through the double rear doors, it is also far more secure than the typical bakkie load bed, making it ideal for professionals needing to transport their equipment.

The car-like driving experience makes the vehicle easy to operate and ideal for the cut-and-thrust of city environments, while the cockpit clearly takes its inspiration from the latest-generation Ford Focus, ensuring that occupants are comfortable and alert. It also offers a variety of safety features.

The model is likely to face a difficult time entering the South African environment as will be competing directly with established rivals from VW (Transporter) and Mercedes (Vito), among others, as well as challenging the South African multi-purpose bakkie. Although Ford products continue to be perceived as both reliable and affordable, the brand will need to prove these strengths quickly if the Transit is to become an African success story in an environment that is traditionally much more challenging than Europe or the US.

An aggressive pricing strategy, which Ford is normally quite adept at, could also help, as there is space in the market for a sound product that undercuts certain competitors by a noticeable margin. If the company strikes the right price/performance balance with its new Transit, the local industry can expect to see this well-established brand name and its light vehicle range becoming a regular sight on South Africa’s city streets.

The new Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom models for South Africa will be built at the Ford Otosan plant in Kocaeli, Turkey.

Image caption: Despite being a European sales leader for four decades, the Transit faces an uphill battle entering South Africa with our market’s penchant for more versatile 1t bakkies.