Ford said it would start building the latest Transit commercial van in Russia later this year. US assembly is also set to start soon.

The 2015 full-size van will be assembled at the Ford Sollers joint venture plant in Elabuga from the second half of the year and go on sale this summer, the Detroit Free Press reported. Russian buyers will be offered a 2.2 litre diesel with three outputs – 125, 135 and 155hp with standard six speed manual transmission and a choice of front-, rear- or all-wheel drive. Body styles are van, chassis cab and bus.

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The Sollers joint venture is responsible for the production, import and distribution of all Ford brand products, including vehicles, parts and accessories, in Russia. It began building the current Transit in 2012.

The Kuga, S-Max, Galaxy and Explorer are also made on assembly lines in the Elabuga” special economic xone, Tatarstan. The Focus and Mondeo are made in Vsevolozhsk (St Petersburg). Most Ford models sold in Russia are assembled there.

Once involved in a Russian assembly/distribution JV deal with Fiat, Sollers owns five automotive plants, an engine production facility, a finance company and a number of dealerships in Russia and has over 20,000 employees.

The contract assembler also has vehicle build deals with Mazda and Toyota for which it makes the 6 and Landcruiser, respectively.

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The Transit was launched in Europe in 1965 and was the first light commercial model to be shared between Ford’s then separately operated European and British units which had previously designed and built their own cars and commercial vehicles.

Over 7m have since been sold worldwide with final assembly carried out in many different countries over the years.

Ford last week said it had spent US$1bn to retool its Kansas City plant and had hired 1,000 workers to build the Transit in the US for the first time, becoming the latest ‘One Ford’ global model. It will also go on sale in North America this summer.

The US Transit will come with a choice of three lengths, two roof heights and three engines and eventually replace the North American E-series which Ford claims has been America’s best-selling van line for 35 years.

Kansas City also builds the F-150 truck and will start on the redesigned 2015 models in the first quarter of 2015.

INTERVIEW: Ford Sollers – president and CEO – Ted Cannis