Ford Pro unveils Transit City chassis cab for urban fleets
Ford Pro has showcased the new conversion-ready Transit City chassis cab at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover, highlighting its potential for businesses and municipal fleets requiring a compact electric commercial vehicle for specialist applications.
From camper vans and emergency ambulances to the occasional mobile sauna, Simon Robinson, chief programme engineer, Transit City, has spent the past decade working with Ford Pro Special Vehicles to engineer commercial vehicles around customers’ specific requirements.
That experience has helped shape the new city-focused electric Transit City, particularly its versatile chassis cab variant, which is designed as a compact and agile base for urban applications ranging from high-capacity delivery work to grounds and maintenance vehicles.
Ford Pro’s first entry into the one-tonne chassis cab segment has been developed with support from its European converter network, which comprises more than 200 businesses. The chassis cab has been refined using lessons learned from larger Transit models, with optimised chassis rails, standardised bolt patterns and clearly defined no-drill zones designed to simplify conversion work and help deliver reliable, cost-effective finished vehicles.
Simon Robinson said, “As Transit City is Ford Pro’s first entry in the one-tonne chassis cab segment, we drew directly on our Ford Pro Convertors’ expertise to make it an ideal base vehicle.”
Ford Pro is launching Transit City in several of the most common conversion formats, including box body and dropside variants, alongside a racked panel van. These are available through Ford Pro’s One-Stop Shop programme, allowing customers to order vehicles ready for work directly through their Transit Centre.
For more specialist requirements, customers can work with Ford Pro Special Vehicles and the company’s European converter network to develop a vehicle tailored to their operation.
Ford Pro One-Stop Shop simplifies conversions
The One-Stop Shop programme is designed to simplify the purchase and operation of popular converted commercial vehicles, including box vans and flatbeds. Ford Pro works with converters that meet its standards so that completed vehicles can be supplied more quickly while reducing administration for customers.
The programme combines the base vehicle and conversion into a single invoice, with Ford Pro arranging delivery to the customer’s local Transit Centre. The conversion warranty is matched to that of the base vehicle, while customers can also access Ford Pro’s wider ecosystem covering servicing, vehicle management, charging and financing.
Transit City box van targets urban delivery work
The first One-Stop Shop solution is a box van conversion developed with leading bodybuilder Scattolini. It combines the cargo capacity of a conventional box van with a low floor, removing the need for a tail lift and making it suitable for businesses transporting bulky or wheeled loads such as flight cases and cages.
“We call this a ‘box van’, but there’s actually a lot of engineering detail here to increase efficiency as much as possible”, said Simon Robinson.
The lightweight, low-floor box body uses panels with insulating foam sandwiched between smooth glass-reinforced plastic. The resulting interior is designed to be easy to sanitise, while the simple exterior provides a suitable surface for customer liveries, decals or full wraps. A plywood floor with an anti-slip surface completes the load area.
Payload is up to 1,120kg, with customers able to specify load rails along the front and side walls for securing loose cargo using nets or strap hooks. The load box has a maximum length of 3,010mm, a width of 1,930mm and a height of 1,800mm, providing a total volume of 10.4 cubic metres.
Access is provided by twin rear doors that open through 270 degrees, with recessed locks and interior grab handles. A side door also allows loading and unloading from the kerb.
Ford has used advanced simulation to shape the roof fairing, helping to smooth airflow, reduce drag and support driving range. Lightweight materials and aluminium crossbeams further reduce weight, while a translucent roof reduces the need for artificial lighting. Energy-efficient LEDs are available when additional illumination is required.
Transit City dropside designed for trades and councils
The Transit City dropside conversion is aimed at a wide range of users, including construction and utilities companies, local authorities and tool hire businesses.
Developed by Scattolini as part of the One-Stop Shop programme, the dropside can be used to transport scaffolding and pallets of building materials, as well as equipment such as lawnmowers, road signs, generators and wood chippers for municipal operations.
The body features a steel subframe, aluminium side and tailboards and a 15mm plywood load bed with a durable anti-slip and scratch-resistant resin finish. A steel cab protector provides additional protection and incorporates a lashing point for restraining longer loads.
Maximum payload is up to 1,300kg. The load area has a maximum length of 3,130mm and a width of 2,000mm, while the height from the load bed to the top of the cab protector is 1,504mm. The sideboards and tailboards are 400mm high, with an unladen loading height of 939mm.
Electric power take-off expands Transit City applications
Ford Pro is also previewing a refrigerated Transit City concept at IAA Transportation, demonstrating the electric power take-off (ePTO) system that will become available on Transit City chassis cab models during 2027.
Developed with Ford Pro Convertor refrigeration specialist Lecapitaine, the near-production concept represents the type of refrigerated vehicle that could be used for last-mile cold-chain operations, including supermarket home delivery and pharmaceutical transport.
The ePTO system uses energy from Transit City’s 56kWh battery to power the refrigeration unit. Ford says the technology could also support converted vehicles requiring equipment such as powered tippers, tail lifts and high-pressure pumps used by cleaning and drainage businesses.
The system can provide up to 3kW of DC power to conversion equipment and is scheduled to be added to Transit City chassis cab models during 2027.
Transit City racked van adds flexible storage
Ford Pro is also displaying a racked Transit City panel van at Hannover. Based externally on the standard L2 model, the conversion uses Sortimo SRS flexible racking to create configurable storage for individual customer requirements.
The modular system uses aluminium uprights and adjustable shelving to accommodate tools, drawers, containers and other storage equipment. It can be fitted to both L1 and L2 panel vans.
The solution is intended for applications including maintenance and utilities, where vans often serve as mobile workshops or toolboxes and need to accommodate large quantities of loose fittings, equipment and hoses.
The weight of the racking varies according to the configuration selected, but its aluminium construction is designed to minimise the impact on payload. The standard Transit City van offers up to 1,275kg of payload, leaving capacity for equipment and materials even after the racking has been installed.
Ford Transit City targets cost-effective urban electrification
Ford developed Transit City as a “cost-effective, right-sized electric van” for urban businesses looking to prepare for rising operating costs, clean air zones and other restrictions affecting commercial vehicle operations.
The Transit City uses a 56kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a 110kW electric motor, with a targeted driving range of up to 254km. Ford says this is more than twice the average daily distance covered by electric vans in European cities.
Charging from 10 to 80 per cent takes around 4.5 hours using an 11kW AC charger at home or in a depot. Fast charging at up to 87kW can add approximately 50km of range in 10 minutes, while a 10-80 per cent recharge takes just over 30 minutes.
Transit City is offered in a single, well-equipped series featuring a 12-inch dashboard touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, keyless start and a heated driver’s seat.
Ford Pro also expects the electric van to deliver lower servicing costs, with customers potentially saving around 40 per cent compared with an equivalent diesel van. A two-year, unlimited-distance service interval is supported by Ford’s European network of more than 800 Transit Centres and around 500 Mobile Service vans.
The combination of a conversion-ready chassis, factory-backed One-Stop Shop solutions and future ePTO capability gives Transit City a broad range of potential applications for urban fleets seeking an electric base vehicle that can be adapted to specific operational requirements.
