No matter how electrified you like your vans, Ford and Volkswagen will have you covered.
The next-generation Ford Transit Custom and Volkswagen Transporter will be available with mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric powertrains.
Diesel engines will also continue in the new generation.
The two vans will enter production in the first half of 2023 and will be manufactured by Ford Otosan, Ford’s joint venture in Turkey.
Ford is currently referring to the next Transit Custom’s Volkswagen twin as the “Volkswagen 1-Tonne commercial vehicle”, but we expect this product and the T7 Transporter to be one and the same.
Pictured: current Transit Custom PHEV
The new all-electric vans will give Ford and Volkswagen rivals for Stellantis’ similarly-sized electric vans, the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro-e, Citroen e-Jumpy and Peugeot e-Expert.
The announcement follows Ford’s declaration in February its entire commercial vehicle range will be zero-emissions capable by 2024.
According to the company, it expects two-thirds of European commercial vehicle sales to be plug-in hybrid or all-electric by 2030.
Ford says it understands not every commercial vehicle operator will want to make the leap to all-electric vehicles so it’s continuing to offer mild- and plug-in hybrids.
Mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the current Transit Custom were introduced in 2019, though Australia has missed out.
There are currently no electrified versions of the Volkswagen Transporter or its people-mover siblings.
Ford revealed an all-electric version of the full-sized Transit van last year called the E-Transit, which goes on sale in North America late this year and will be introduced to Europe in 2022.
Ford says last year was its sixth consecutive year as the best-selling commercial vehicle manufacturer in Europe.
Though Ford and Volkswagen have formed a commercial vehicle alliance, Ford is leading development of the next-generation Transit Custom/Transporter twins as well as the next Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok.
Tourneo Custom Active 
Transit Courier
Ford is investing more than €2 billion (A$3.07 billion) in increasing vehicle and battery pack assembly capacity at the Turkish plant and will add 3000 jobs.
The plant also assembles the full-sized Transit and the small Fiesta-based Transit Courier, though the Transit Connect, based on the last-generation Focus platform, is manufactured in Spain.
Ford also offers people-mover versions of its vans using the Tourneo name.
