US automaker Ford Motor has begun exporting its battery-powered Transit City light van from China to Europe, with the first batch of 1,000 units being shipped out in September. Ford began taking orders for the Transit City from its European customers in the second quarter of 2026, and the first vehicles are expected to be delivered to local customers before the end of the year.
The Transit City was designed and developed jointly by Ford and its Chinese partner Jiangling Motors Corporation, in which Ford has a 32% stake, to meet the requirements of overseas markets in terms of regulations, safety, and data security. It is based on a dedicated Jiangling Motors platform.
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The Transit City went into production at a Jiangling Motors plant in Nanchang at the end of August. It was on show at the IAA Transportation 2026 exhibition in Hannover, Germany, earlier this month, alongside a chassis cab variant.
The Ford Transit City has a maximum payload of 1.6 tons and a cargo space of 8.5 cubic meters. A 56 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack powers a front-mounted motor with a maximum output of 110 kW, providing a driving range of up to 254 km.
Key standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, intelligent speed assistance, and adaptive cruise control. The cockpit comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Transit City is the first battery-powered Ford commercial vehicle to be exported to Europe and other developed markets from China, and reflects the country’s growing importance as a global production hub for electric vehicles.
