Ford Transit production could stay in UK until 2012
Ford has said production of the best-selling Ford Transit panel van could remain at the Southampton plant longer than the original date of 2011.
Production of the Ford Transit van is set to move to Turkey in 2011 from the Southampton plant, which will instead produce Ford chassis cabs.
However, Ford has yet to announce a start date for production of the Transit and any delays could see production stay in Southampton into 2012.
The Southampton plant, which makes 35,000 vans a year, will continue to make the Transit until production begins on the new generation. After this it will produce the chassis cabs, which allow users to adapt the cab for specific use.
Production at the plant began in 1972, and Ford claims the plant will be able to make the same number of chassis cabs as it did Transit vans when production moves to Turkey.
In 2005, the Ford Transit passed the five million mark after forty years of production.