Ford is celebrating a clean-sweep of the light commercial vehicle awards season as the electrified Ford Hybrid Transit Custom line-up is today named International Van of the Year (IVOTY ) 2020, and the Ford Ranger is named winner of the International Pick-up Award (IPUA ) 2020.
The new Transit Custom plug-in hybrid and Transit Custom EcoBlue hybrid models were collectively judged winners of the prestigious annual IVOTY award by a jury of 25 specialist journalists from 25 countries across Europe, at a special ceremony in Lyon, France.
The Transit Custom plug-in hybrid and Transit Custom EcoBlue hybrid 1-tonne vans, and the Transit EcoBlue hybrid 2-tonne van that earned the runner-up position at this year’s ceremony, are three of 14 electrified vehicles Ford is introducing to Europe before the end of 2020. Ford has now won the IVOTY title six times.
Based on the latest data, Ford says the Ranger is Europe’s No 1 best-selling pick-up. It has a more powerful and fuel-efficient 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel powertrain and advanced driver assistance technologies.
Ford of Europe's general manager of commercial vehicles, Hans Schep, says the new Transit Custom plug-in hybrid and EcoBlue hybrid models are the right vehicles at the right time – "helping customers reduce costs and emissions, and meeting the challenges of operating in today’s business environment without sacrificing practicality or payload".
"And our new Ranger is raising the bar for refinement, technology and productivity in the pick-up segment,” Hans Schep says.
Combining zero-emission driving capability and no range anxiety, the Transit Custom plug-in hybrid can be charged with mains electricity for a pure electric NEDC driving range of up to 56km (35 miles ). The vehicle’s front wheels are driven exclusively by a 92.9kW electric motor powered by a 13.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Ford’s multi-award-winning 1.0 litre EcoBoost petrol engine acts as a range extender for total driving range exceeding 500km.
The Transit Custom EcoBlue hybrid’s mild-hybrid powertrain uses a belt-driven integrated starter/generator in place of the standard alternator, enabling recovery and storage of energy during vehicle decelerations, and charging of a 48-volt lithium-ion air-cooled battery pack. The stored energy is used to provide torque assistance to the engine and has been optimised to deliver up to an eight per cent fuel efficiency improvement for Ford’s further enhanced 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine.
Ford says as Europe’s No 1 commercial vehicle brand for the year, it is delighted sales for Transit Custom reached 114,000 in October, up 2.6 per cent year on year. In addition, the Ranger is Europe’s No 1 pick-up, with sales of 43,300 for the same period.
