Ford Pro is ready to ship the first batch of all-electric E-Transit vans to customers across Europe from Ford Otosan’s Gölcük plant in Kocaeli, Turkey.
So far more than 5,000 customer orders have been placed for the E-Transit cargo van.
With the van’s competitive range, payload, power, and choice of bodystyles, the E-Transit is designed to enable fleet operators to go electric.
As the van reaches volume production, the landmark moment was celebrated in a ceremony involving Turkish government officials, investors, employees, and media at the Gölcük factory.
“Ford Otosan’s Kocaeli plant is the heart of Transit production in Europe, and this celebration of E-Transit manufacturing starts the electrified next chapter in our already strong partnership,” said Hans Schep, general manager at Ford Pro, Europe.
“This is the first step in a transformation of the Kocaeli site, which will see it become a major centre for electric commercial vehicle manufacturing in Europe.”
To meet customer demand for Ford’s models, Ford Otosan will invest €2bn in the plant and will employ a further 3,000 people to increase vehicle production capacity.
By 2024, the E-Transit will be joined by four more fully-electric models. This is to set Ford on a path toward achieving zero-emissions for all vehicle sales in Europe by 2035.
In February, we reported that the Ford E-Transit took a Gold Award in the Euro NCAP Safety tests thanks to a comprehensive suite of driver assistance systems.