How is the full-size commercial van market doing amidst a slower automotive retail sales in August? In short, the big vans are still flying off the lots. While the Ford Transit continues to dominate the charts and continues to grow, it’s not the most improved in sales numbers over last year. The most improved title for August 2016 and 2016 Year-To-Date (YTD) goes to the Ram ProMaster. The big van from Ram improved by 25% over August of last year and 41% for the year. Despite the great results, it’s still firmly planted in fourth place, behind the rejuvenated sales of the Ford E-Series.
The Ford E-Series continues sales of chassis and cutaway vans. It will do so for the reminder of the decade. These chassis and cutaways still supply many shuttle, special service, and RV manufacturer fleets.
The Nissan NV lineup is now in fifth place for monthly sales. The big vans from Nissan are still showing sales improvement, but have a long way to go to reach the Ram ProMaster numbers.
Full-size Commercial Van – August 2016 Sales
| Aug 2016 # | Aug ’16 / ’15 % | YTD 2016 # | YTD ’16 / ’15 % | |
| Ford Transit | 11,993 | 16.9% | 101,808 | 34.1% |
| Chevy Express | 6,659 | 20.6% | 44,088 | 17.4% |
| Ford E-Series | 4,716 | 23.4% | 36,122 | 3.1% |
| Ram ProMaster | 3,234 | 25.0% | 23,761 | 41.0% |
| Nissan NV | 1,431 | 3.0% | 11,988 | 8.0% |
| GMC Savana | 692 | -7.0% | 12,892 | -17.7% |
*Mercedes-Benz Sprinter sales numbers are now reported in combination with the Mercedes-Benz Metris van.
Here is a detailed review of the Ram ProMaster.
