Ford is going after Toyota’s top-selling van HiAce

Ford Australia will use the Ranger playbook to try and catch and pass the dominant Toyota HiAce in the mid-size van segment with an expanding Transit Custom line-up.

Ford acknowledges outselling the HiAce will take years to achieve, just as it took years for Ranger to overtake the Toyota HiLux.

“It's a long-term battle we're running our own race, we think we've got the right products for customers, and we'll let the sales chart up[ward] as we go,” Ford Australia marketing director Ambrose Henderson told carsales.

The expansion of the Transit Custom from a work van started with the successful introduction of the Sport model as part of a first generation update in 2019.

Months after the launch of the second-generation Transit Custom with a diesel engine, Ford has dramatically accelerated the expansion of the powertrain line-up into plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV).

This year, Ford has also added the Transit Custom-based Tourneo eight-seat people-mover.

Perhaps the most obvious indicator of Ford’s plan to shift the Transit Custom Trail from a pure work van to a lifestyle-focusd vehicle is the rugged diesel all-wheel drive (AWD) Transit Custom Trail variant, which is marketed as a go-anywhere adventure van.

“I do think that you will see a greater portion of private customers considering the van than do today,” said Henderson.

“I think you'll see more you know tradie type of customer consider it as a dual purpose not just a strict ‘this is my work car and as soon as I finish work, I park it and I drive something else.”

By contrast, the HiAce line-up remains strictly work-focussed and diesel-powered – yet it continues to dominate the segment.

By the end of September 2025, Toyota had sold 8,049 HiAce’s compared to 2,541 Transit Customs, placing Ford firmly in second spot in the segment.

“That brand [Toyota] is doing particularly well and has done for a long time,” said Henderson.

“But I'd say this story is not dissimilar to another story that we've played out over the last 10-15 years in utes.

“The way that we went about that is slowly and methodically focussing on what the customer wants, doing what we do best, bringing great exciting products to market.

“You're seeing us do the same thing here.”

Ford’s long game is evident in the Ranger’s evolution. The Wildtrak’s launch in 2009 marked the shift from workhorse to lifestyle ute.

That year, Ford sold 8316 Ranger 4x4s and 5699 4x2s, while Toyota moved 23,097 HiLux 4x4s and 15,350 4x2s.

Since then, Ranger has grown into a standalone brand with models ranging from the XL 4x2 to the Raptor.

In 2023, Ford sold 63,356 Rangers – ending HiLux’s seven-year reign at the top.

While van sales won’t match ute volumes, Henderson sees enough upside to chase HiAce.

“I think it … reinforces our focus on playing where we can win in areas of strength for us,” he said. “We don't plan anything just to be there, we play there to do well and to deliver great results and we expect to do the same in vans, and we'll build that over time.”

Ford Australia’s van sales push is supported by a wide range of plug-and-play Transit Custom options, built in Otosan, Turkey – where Foston now heads product development.

Ford Australia’s own Pro Converter business could also get involved in local van fit-outs.

While Henderson didn’t confirm specific future models, but he was prepared to signal a direction.

“One of the things that is particularly on our mind is you know something that Australians love is camping and outdoors and you know travelling around the country and I think that's an area of interest for us that that we can explore over time,” he said.

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