Upon its introduction in North America, the Transit quickly became the best-selling van of any type in the United States, minivan sales included.

With this, Ford of Britain and Ford-Werke AG suddenly became more competitive on the whole European Continent than local market subsidiaries of their parent company in Detroit.

In 1961, Ford discontinued the entire truck production in Germany and took the FK brand off the market, due to serious defects and therefore strongly decreasing demand.

In a UK market segment then dominated by the Bedford CA, Ford's Thames competitor, because of its restricted load area, failed to attract fleet users in sufficient numbers.

Another key to the Transit's success was the sheer number of different body styles: panel vans in long and short wheelbase forms, pick-up truck, minibuses, crew-cabs to name but a few.

[13] Another popular development under the bonnet was the equipping of the van with an alternator at time when the UK market competitors expected buyers to be content with a dynamo.

As this engine was too long to fit under the Transit's stubby nose, the diesel version featured a longer bonnet - which became nicknamed as the "pig snout".

With the performance of a car, and space for 1.75 tonnes of loot, the Transit is proving to be the perfect getaway vehicle", describing it as "Britain's most wanted van".

[4][14][15] The adoption of a front beam axle in place of a system incorporating independent front suspension that had featured on its UK predecessor might have been seen as a backward step by some, but on the road commentators felt that the Transit's wider track and longer wheelbase more than compensated for the apparent step backwards represented by Ford's suspension choices.

Many fleet owners experienced premature camshaft wear in early Pinto units in the Cortina and for two years the Transit 75 was available with the 1.6 L Ford Kent cross-flow engine.

At this time this generation received a minor facelift including a grey plastic front grille with integrated headlamp surrounds, wraparound indicators, longer bumper end caps and multifunction rear lights incorporating fog, indicator, reversing and side lights for the panel van.

Codenamed VE6, the second generation Transit platform appeared in January 1986 and was notable for its all-new bodyshell which was of "one-box" design (i.e. the windscreen and bonnet are at close to the same angle), and the front suspension was changed to a fully independent configuration on SWB versions.

A demonstration of this model's speed with the smallest panel van body, rear wheel drive, highest output 136PS 2.4 Duratorq turbo-diesel engine and optional 6-speed manual gearbox was shown in series 6 of Top Gear in 2005, where German race driver Sabine Schmitz attempted to drive it around the Nürburgring in under ten minutes, matching Jeremy Clarkson's time in a turbodiesel Jaguar S-Type; after weight reduction and aerodynamic modifications, she was only just unsuccessful, marking her fastest lap at 10m 8s.

2002 saw the introduction of the first High Pressure Common Rail diesel engine in the Transit, with the launch of the 125 PS (92 kW) HPCR 2.0-litre in the FWD.

Production ended in 2013, with the Southampton plant closing down making this generation the last of the British built Transits, but returned in China in two modified forms.

[47] The long-running Twin I-Beams of the E-Series were retired, as the fourth-generation Transit uses MacPherson struts for the front suspension; the live rear axle is leaf-sprung.

[46] For its worldwide introduction in 2013, the fourth-generation Transit inherited the Duratorq diesel engines from the previous generation, shared with the Ranger and Mondeo.

[citation needed] The fourth-generation Transit as both a van and as a chassis cab/cutaway cab; the pickup truck of the previous generation has been discontinued.

In line with the F-Series trucks (and its E-Series predecessor), in North America, the Transit is marketed in 150/250/350 (and 350HD) payload series, determined by wheelbase, body length, and roof height.

Initially intended for North American sale (alongside the Transit Connect), the EcoBlue option was dropped shortly before its introduction.

[50][51] In November 2020, Ford announced the 2022 E-Transit battery electric cargo van; key specifications include a 3,880 lb (1,760 kg) / 487.3 cu ft (13.80 m3) maximum cargo capacity, 68 kWh (usable capacity) battery and up to 126 mi (203 km) range, based on the U.S. EPA Multi-Cycle Test (MCT) procedure.

[59] The E-Transit has a unique chassis to accommodate the traction battery between the frame rails, but is fitted with the same bodies as the conventional Transit.

[60] Under the bonnet, Ford have fitted cooling pumps for the high-voltage traction battery and motor, along with cabin climate control equipment and other electrical gear, including the DC-DC converter.

[62] In the United States, purchasers are given a choice of three body lengths (Regular, Long, or Extended), two wheelbases (130.0 or 148.0 in (3,300 or 3,760 mm)), three roof heights (Low, Medium, or High), and three chassis preparations (cargo van, cutaway, or chassis cab; the latter two are offered with a 178.0 in (4,520 mm) wheelbase only);[56] all US versions are sold as a single T-350 model with a GVWR of 9,500 lb (4,300 kg).

All Transit production for Europe and Asia is sourced from Ford Otosan in Kocaeli Province, Turkey; this factory provides a percentage of global exports.

[79][80]The model line received a facelift for 2021 production, unveiled as the Ford Transit Pro at the 2020 Beijing Auto Show.

[84] Introduced as part of the 1994 redesign of the Transit, the Tourneo is a Transit-based 8 or 9-seat minibus, but over the years has become increasingly better trimmed up to the point where it can almost be classified as a large MPV.

The version based on the fourth generation Transit is marketed as the Ford Tourneo Custom, and from 2019 has a plug-in hybrid engine option.

[85][86] A handful of companies offered four-wheel-drive conversions, such as County Tractors of Knighton in Powys, Wales, UK[87] who converted vans on behalf of Ford as a Special Vehicle Operations factory option.

Competing against the Mercedes-Benz Vito/Viano, Peugeot Expert, Renault Trafic and Volkswagen Transporter, the Custom is offered in two body lengths and two roof heights.