Ford vans for Europe: parts from several countries, assembled in Turkey

Ford Otosan is one of Ford’s key manufacturing partners in the European commercial vehicle business. During a visit to the Kocaeli plants in early November 2026, company representatives explained how production is organised and linked to suppliers and markets across Europe.

According to figures for the first nine months of 2026, around 82% of Ford commercial vehicles sold in Europe came from Ford Otosan’s production network. This figure covers the company’s facilities in both Turkey and Romania, rather than the Turkish plants alone.

The plants specialise in different vehicle categories. The Yeniköy plant produces models including the Ford Transit Custom, while the neighbouring Gölcük facility builds larger Transit models. In Craiova, Romania, Ford Otosan manufactures vehicles such as the Transit Courier and Ford Puma.

The company also operates a facility in Eskişehir, where it develops and manufactures Ford Trucks heavy commercial vehicles and powertrain technologies.

Ford Otosan puts the combined annual capacity of its production network at 934,500 vehicles.

UK-sourced engines and European battery components feed Turkish production

Vehicle assembly is only one stage in the wider international supply chain.

Fikri Onur Sarıkaya, Ford Otosan’s head of material planning and logistics, and Cem Temel, head of the commercial vehicle business, explained how closely the plants are linked to supplier locations across Europe. They cited engines and gearboxes for some Transit models as examples of components shipped from the United Kingdom. For electric vehicles, the company sources batteries and battery components from European production sites, including facilities in Poland and Hungary.

Other parts also come from outside Turkey. For one specific van variant, the representatives said 56% of the components originated in Europe, with a further 5% coming from the United Kingdom.

These figures apply only to that model example and should not be treated as representative of the company’s overall production output.

For transport operators, the example highlights the complexity of the supply chain. Components from different origins must be coordinated, delivered and made available to the assembly process at precisely the right time before a finished van can leave the plant.

Ford Otosan’s role in Turkey’s commercial vehicle exports

The production and export figures presented during the plant visit illustrate the scale of Ford Otosan’s role in Turkey’s automotive industry.

The company says it accounts for 76% of Turkey’s commercial vehicle production and 80% of the country’s commercial vehicle exports.

Ford Otosan also puts its share of Turkey’s total vehicle exports at 42%. The company says its products reach 91 export markets worldwide.

These figures indicate the scale of the company’s role in Turkey’s vehicle exports and the international freight flows connected to them.

Dedicated port supports vehicle exports

One logistical feature of the Kocaeli site is its direct connection to maritime transport. The Gölcük and Yeniköy plants have their own port area, allowing completed vehicles to be loaded for shipment.

Sarıkaya told trans.iNFO that vehicle dimensions are a key consideration when planning vessel capacity.

Large vehicle carriers can transport between 6,000 and 8,000 vehicles, depending on the ship type and vehicle size. For larger Transit models, however, he cited a capacity of around 800 to 1,000 vehicles per vessel.

The comparison illustrates how significantly vehicle size affects available transport capacity.

Commercial vehicles require more deck space than many passenger cars. Export planning therefore has to account not only for production volumes, but also for vehicle dimensions and the capacity available on each vessel.

Combustion, plug-in hybrid and electric vans on one line

Another feature of the Kocaeli operation is its ability to build vehicles with different powertrains within the same production system.

Ford Otosan can assemble vans with internal-combustion engines, plug-in hybrid powertrains and fully electric drivetrains on one shared line.

Cem Temel said this allows the company to respond to changes in demand without maintaining permanently separate production lines for each powertrain type.

That flexibility has already proved useful. When demand for electric vehicles was temporarily below expectations, the manufacturer was able to shift its production mix back towards vehicles with combustion engines.

The approach also affects inbound logistics. The components required vary with the powertrain mix, changing the demands placed on material supply operations.

The routes most affected depend on where the required parts are sourced.

Germany is Ford Otosan’s second-largest market

Ford Otosan’s sales figures for the first nine months of 2026 further demonstrate its close ties to the European market.

In the company’s geographical sales breakdown, the United Kingdom accounted for 27% and Germany for 18%. Italy followed with 11%, France with 9% and Spain with 7%.

Germany was therefore the second-largest individual market listed by the company, behind the United Kingdom.

These percentages describe Ford Otosan’s overall sales distribution and do not refer solely to vehicle exports from its Turkish plants.

For freight forwarders and logistics providers, the example illustrates how closely European commercial vehicle production is tied to cross-border component deliveries and established export connections.

A Ford van built in Turkey is the product of an international supply chain: British and European suppliers, Turkish manufacturing sites, seaports and customer markets across Europe all form part of the same logistics network.