Industry News: Vans Are Making A Huge Comeback In the U.S.

[William Maley]

Previously, the market for vans was stagnate. Old models paired with poor optimism in the business world made vans appealing as cold liver and onions. But Bloomberg reports that vans are making a comeback.

Data from Edmunds shows that van sales by unit have more than double in the past five years, outpacing the pace set by the auto industry overall. More surprising is that in the first quarter, sales of vans climbed another third. If this growth trend continues, its expected that 475,000 vans will be sold in the year.

So what is causing this explosion in van sales? Two factors. First are new vans arriving in showrooms. Ford. Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Ram have introduced new vans that are more efficient and boast more space.

"The big trend that we’ve seen is customers being able to right-size their vehicle for the job that they need. We had a show where we had the Mustang GT500 and the conversion van, and the van actually drew as much attention,” said Yaro Hetman, the brand manager for the Transit.

Secondly is the resurgent of specific jobs; skill trades, deliveries, and transportation. The National Federation of Independent Business says the optimism in business has been growing in the past few years. With this increased optimism, comes sales.

Source: Bloomberg

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[G. David Felt]

How about the fact that millions of vans have just been worn out by the trade industry and services need to replace these vans finally. So now we have a demand. Once all vans are updated / replaced we will see another lull.

 

Personally most are pretty ugly to me.

[William Maley]

How about the fact that millions of vans have just been worn out by the trade industry and services need to replace these vans finally. So now we have a demand. Once all vans are updated / replaced we will see another lull.

 

Personally most are pretty ugly to me.

 

To be fair, Vans aren't designed to be sexiest machines on earth. They are designed with a purpose to used for work. 

[ocnblu]

Ohhhhh... I dunno, that Transit Low Roof is one hot papa.  I'd love to see one done 70's style, with airbrushed murals, porthole windows, aluminum slot or Cragar S/S wheels, white letter tires, a full crushed velvet interior...

[smk4565]

I'd like to see a Transit Connect SHO with the 3.5 liter Ecoboost.  People love performance models of coupes and sedans, why not a van. 

[balthazar]

mercedes van certainly isn't new- it dates to 1995.

Edited May 12, 2015 by balthazar

[daves87rs]

Kinda like the transits....like Ocn said, I've seen a few done up great for camping.....

[G. David Felt]

Here are some very COOL Transit Connect Custom jobs!

 

 

Clearly some get it that custom can make it happen and Rock a cool Look!

[regfootball]

I'd like to see a Transit Connect SHO with the 3.5 liter Ecoboost.  People love performance models of coupes and sedans, why not a van. 

 

i loved that one.  Transit SHO   lol

[knightfan26917]

I can't remember the last time I've seen a "civilian" van used for every day family stuff.  All of the vans I've seen around here ... are either government or business vehicles.  So, those custom jobs ... rather intriguing.

 

 

Cort www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

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