Ford hopes Renault deal can plug its weakness in small vans

Kangoo small van has long been a big hit for Renault

The Transit Custom is a success story for Ford, but it has struggled in the sub-tonne van class

Ford’s domination of the van sales chart in the UK hides a weakness that it hopes to plug through a new partnership with Renault. 
News that Renault will build Ford two small electric cars, one a Fiesta replacement, overshadowed the announcement that the two plan to work together on the development of future vans. And of the two, the van partnership could be the more significant.
“We are matched very well,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said on 8 December. “Together we can create a powerhouse of LCV [light commercial vehicles] in Europe.”
Farley admitted that, despite Ford leading the van chart in Europe, its business was “very lumpy”, with strengths and weaknesses.
Those weaknesses aren’t evident in the UK. To the end of the November 2025, Ford had captured around a third of the UK van market and held the top three positions with the Transit