According to Ford Ireland MD Eddie Murphy, that will be 'healthy growth' compared to the 11,600 units registered in 2013. "It's a bell-weather for the economy, and equally it suggests that buyers are able to get finance."
He was speaking at the recent European press launch of the new Transit Courier van, which arrives in Ireland at the end of June.
The Transit Courier will be Ford's smallest van, competing in the segment currently occupied by Citroen Nemo and Fiat Fiorino, but the Ford product is larger than its perceived competition. It sits below the Transit Connect in the Ford range, and will be priced from €13,990 compared to €15,550 for the larger van. It will be powered by a 1.5 diesel.
The Ford boss said he didn't see the arrival of the Transit Courier as impacting on sales of either the Fiesta Van or Focus Van, both car-derived models. "They are 'soft' commercials, niche products."
A Tourneo (passenger) version of the Courier won't be coming to Ireland for some time.
