Ford Pro, the commercial division of the Ford Motor Company, has scored a major double victory at the International Van and Pickup of the Year awards with the 2024 Ranger and all-new Transit Custom.
To be more precise, the official nametag titles for the Ranger and Transit Custom are the 2024 International Van of the Year (IVOTY) and International Pickup Award (IPUA). Interestingly, the IVOTY and IPUA awards were claimed on three separate occasions – in the past; Ford Pro also scored double victories in 2013 and 2020.
Naturally, these awards were tied to a related event – this time, the special award ceremony was held during the Solutrans commercial vehicle show in Lyon, France. "This is a pride point for our Ford teams across the globe who strive to deliver quality-driven products for our customers. We are delighted that the jury has recognized the strength of our newest commercial vehicles, built with the purpose of supporting customers' business needs across all vocations," said Tim Slatter, vice president of Product Programs at Ford.
Twenty-five commercial vehicle journalists voted Ford Pro's all-new Transit Custom winner of IVOTY 2024. The new generation started deliveries earlier this year with many new features: a tilting steering wheel, a practical MultiCab body style, a 5G modem for "superfast connectivity," Delivery Assist, or Alexa Built-in. Last year, Ford's Transit Custom was Europe's best-selling one-ton van, plus the UK's top-selling vehicle overall in 2021 and 2022. Ford Otosan produces it at the Yenikoy Assembly Plant in Turkey.
"Well, it's a 'High Five' for the Ford Transit on winning the International Van of the Year Award 2024. This is the fifth occasion that Ford Transit has won IVOTY, first in 2001 and 2007 with the then all-encompassing model. Soon after its launch, the new generation standalone one-ton variant – the Transit Custom – secured the title in 2013, and in 2020, and now for 2024," explained Jarlath Sweeney, chair of International Van of the Year.
The IPUA jury tested the Ranger alongside other candidates in sunny Greece earlier this year and now has snatched the accolade for the third time. The mid-size pickup truck is a truly global product, sold from Thailand to Australia and from the US to the Old Continent. It is also produced in six plants across four continents, and in Europe, it was the region's most-delivered pickup truck for the past eight years.
"We are delighted that the Ford Ranger has been recognized by the IPUA jury for the third time, which is a testament to its enduring appeal as Europe's favorite pickup for the past eight years," adds Hans Schep, general manager of Ford Pro Europe. The company recently introduced a first-ever Ranger plug-in hybrid variant – "Europe's first PHEV pickup – combining electric driving capability with Ranger's work-ready versatility." Now, we are obviously expecting a Ranger Lightning EV, of course.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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