Ford Australia has temporarily stopped taking orders for the full-size Transit van, bus and cab-chassis range, as production delays mean demand exceeds supply.
New orders for the full-size 2023 Ford Transit range – including van, bus and cab-chassis body styles – have been paused in Australia due to high demand and production delays related to parts shortages.
“The global semiconductor chip shortage and supply chain challenges for various commodities continues to impact vehicle production of Transit Van, Transit Cab Chassis and Transit Bus,” a statement on Ford Australia’s website reads.
“We are doing our best to fulfill current customer orders as quickly as we can. As such, new orders for the Transit Van, Transit Cab Chassis and Transit Bus will be paused until we can get through the existing customer order bank.”
It is unclear if this order pause for diesel Transit models has any effect on the upcoming E-Transit electric model – which is built on the same production line in Turkey – previously slated to arrive in early 2023.
The Transit is not the first Ford Australia vehicle to be affected by production delays – Mustang orders were paused in July for a similar reason, before being closed for good last month, with new customers directed to wait for the next-generation Mustang due late 2023.
Ford Australia hasn’t said when it will resume taking new orders for the Transit – however, unlike the soon-to-be-replaced Mustang, the next-generation Transit van believed to be at least two years away, based on the typical 10-year life cycle of commercial vehicles.
Ford’s other European-built models – including the Puma and Escape SUVs, and Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks – have also faced production constraints in recent months.
The smaller Transit Custom is unaffected by the order pause, and Ford Australia says it is now taking orders for vehicles arriving in 2023.
Prices were recently increased by $1000 to $1400 across the full-size Transit range for 2023, to account for a new super-sized 12-inch touchscreen and revisions to interior trim.
The post 2023 Ford Transit orders paused in Australia appeared first on Drive.