The original #Transit was a joint German-British effort but over successive generations, production was concentrated first in the UK, then Turkey, the European source of Transits since 2013. #Ford commercial vehicles are still developed at Dunton in the UK, a surviving fragment of Ford’s previously huge British industrial footprint. The Transit Custom van is still the best selling vehicle here, even as Ford’s car market share has plummeted. Pic details: alt txt #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar
@davidwilkins let's hope the new Transit Custom continues to sell well too, especially amongst lifestyle buyers. I want to see more people camping in them and with surfboards on top around Cornwall :) VW seems to have the cool van market completely to itself.
As for Ford's loss of market share in the UK that is a shame for the UK but it is arguably a win for the world at large as they concentrate on doing what they do best today, trucks and SUVs. Right now they have:
* Ford Maverick: The most affordable modern compact pickup (excluding things like the Fiat Strada and RAM 700) out there that's a genuine practical rival to not only mid-size trucks but also small cars like the Focus. And it does that whilst also performing well and being supremely efficient.
* Ford Bronco: Ford now has what's arguably a more capable SUV than Land Rover, Ineos, and even Jeep!
* F-150 Lightning: Whilst Telsa talked and talked about a full-size EV truck Ford went ahead and did it. And last time I checked this was the best-selling EV truck.
* New Ford Ranger: Comparing the new Ford Ranger to some traditional rivals is like comparing a truck from the future to a truck from the past. The AWD system is something that trucks like the D-Max and the HiLux don't have. Personally, I'd rather have a Toyota or Isuzu :) but that is beside the point, there's no denying that technology-wise the Ford Ranger is ahead of the rest.
Ford Everest: Read all the benefits of the Ranger and now make the rivals be: Fortuner, MU-X, and Montero Sport.
Anyway, I wish Ford good luck. I get the sense that the market is about to really change as Chinese manufacturers like BYD become more and more popular around the world. Manufacturers like BYD might take the slot that Ford used to have, in Europe at least.
@gpowerf Well that’s the problem. They’ve convinced themselves that they’ve become more efficient by shrinking themselves down to being mainly a US truck maker - a position that is incredibly vulnerable to any (IMHO not unlikely) change in regulation or consumer taste against such vehicles.
UK market share has fallen from 30%+ in the eighties to 7-8%. Not really a problem for the UK - most of the British Ford jobs have already gone. But certainly a problem for Ford. 1/2
@davidwilkins Maybe I am wrong here, but Ford is not only focusing on being a US truck maker, but also trying to cater to the needs of markets like Thailand, the Philippines, South Africa, Brazil, and Australia. These markets have a strong demand for vehicles like the Ranger and the Everest, which are based on the T6.x platform.
Ford has a history of designing vehicles for specific markets outside the US, such as the Model Y, a scaled-down Model B for the British, German, and French markets in 1932. However, Europe is not as important and growing as it used to be for Ford, and it has faced challenges such as declining demand, Brexit uncertainty, and environmental regulations.
Ford has announced a restructuring plan for its European operations, which includes focusing on more profitable vehicles such as crossovers, SUVs, vans, and pickups. Ford has also reduced its presence in the small car market, which is more competitive and less profitable than other segments. Ford has stopped manufacturing the Fiesta in Thailand and India due to low demand and profitability, these small cars just don’t work for Ford world wide anymore. The Fiesta has been one of Ford’s most successful models globally, but it has faced increased competition from other brands and segments, especially in Asia. I think this segment will get more and more difficult to make a profit from too, Dacia massively increased its prices and car manufacturers like BYD seem very difficult to beat. It makes sense for Ford to do globally what it does well, and that right now is the T6.2. What I’m saying is that when Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, US/Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Europe are willing to buy more Rangers than Fiestas then why bother with the smaller Fords that appeal to the European market alone? Don’t forget that in 2021 Europeans bought close to 55k T6 based Rangers, so when even Europeans are willing to buy T6/T6.2 vehicles in such high numbers and these vehicles appeal to more important growing markets why not just continue to build cars for growing markets and at the same time design the future EVs that will no doubt sell in Europe eventually.
In my opinion, Ford is a truly global brand and it will continue to be, Europe or not. Europe loses Fords, growing markets gain Fords.
@gpowerf It’s a really fascinating subject - I could probably talk about it all day! Electrification is a wild card with the potential to upset literally any previously held assumption about how the motor industry works, so who really knows how things will turn out?
@davidwilkins it is indeed! Whilst the motoring press does boring pointless stuff like drag racing a Defender vs. a Wrangler we could go on and on about where cars have come from and where there are going.
We know for a fact that ever-tightening emissions and safety regulations and the move to EVs will change a lot! We've seen it before with CAFE and 5MPH bumpers in the US, what's happening now is even more radical.
I suspect we will see Chinese makers like NIO and BYD become household names like Toyota and Honda did back in the day. But that's me speculating.
@gpowerf Yes - one of the main impacts of Chinese EVs is that MG, which was almost extinct here now has a decent market share in U.K. on the back of electrification, although the British element is really limited to the badge these days.
Re pointless stuff/journalism. I used to think a lot of coverage was irrelevant to readers’ reality too but when I started writing about cars, I found it’s mainly about dreams. Most people drive e.g. an Astra but they still want to read about Ferraris and stuff
@davidwilkins I could talk or write a lot about how I think the motoring press has affected cars negatively.
Car journos are petrol heads, petrol heads like you or I love to find out how fast a car goes around a track, and that's what journalists end up doing. Write about performance as though it was the end-all and be-all for every car... it isn't if you have to drive it every day on a road full of potholes and speed bumps! Most people think they want a daily driven car that handles phenomenally well, but they really don't when the byproduct of that is an impractical car.
And what's happened? People realised that they really didn't want to deal with super low-profile tyres, wheels that scratch easily, tight bucket seats, stiff suspension, and a 2-inch ride height.... and they started buying higher crossovers and SUVs.
I used to have a modern crossover with a lower ride height than my old Camaro which has been lowered! We went wrong somewhere.
PS: Maybe I am different :) I like to read about cars that I can actually afford to buy. :D
@gpowerf I think lots of readers/customers just don’t realise how much they are sacrificing for looks with stuff like very low profile tyres. Small wheels and tall sidewalls for real world conditions every time for me, especially on UK roads.