Ford Transit Tops Stolen List For 2009

The Ford Transit was the most stolen vehicle of 2009, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS). The Transit topped the list with the Mercedes Sprinter the only other van to appear in the top 10:

1. Ford Transit
2. Ford Fiesta
3. Vauxhall Astra
4. Volkswagen Golf
5. Vauxhall Corsa
6. Ford Focus
7. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
8. Ford Mondeo
9. Ford Escort
10. Vauxhall Vectra

Interesting to see the Escort at number 9 – even including van variants, none of these have been made for about eight years – perhaps their anonymity is attractive to thieves for some reasons, or else strong demand for spare parts…

According to AVCIS boss Mark Hooper, “the rise in thefts of vans demonstrates their potential value in terms of spare parts, scrap metal and the prospect of stealing extra ‘booty’ within the contents of the van.” I guess the usual advice applies – keep it locked, keep everything inside it hidden and consider an alarm system.

Merc Sprinter Wins Best Large Van Award (Again)

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has won the Fleet World award for Best Large Van for the third consecutive year. Mercedes was the first van manufacturer to fit Euro 5 engines to its large van range, and as I noted recently, many van manufacturers are still stuck at Euro 4.

In addition to this, the availability of the ECO-Start stop-start system and the Sprinter’s class-leading safety systems mean that it remains the van to beat in the large van sector – as witnessed by the large number of courier and other intensive-use fleets that choose to run Sprinters.