Now China’s coming for the Ford Transit: 2026 Commercial Vehicle Show round-up

The annual Commercial Vehicle Show takes over Birmingham’s NEC with a glut of new vans, pickups, lorries and all the accessories, storage and tech solutions surrounding them. It’s often where manufacturers show off their newest models, hoping to attract interest from the sort of people who will actually end up buying them – business owners, fleet managers and existing CV drivers.

This year’s show was a particularly interesting one, as it seems that the ongoing march of Chinese car brands in the UK has finally started to properly spill out into commercial vehicles. But established companies had plenty to show off too. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the most interesting and important debuts – the sort of vehicles that you might find delivering your Amazon parcel in a few months time…

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Delivan

Get your mind off the idea of cold meats and cheeses – Delivan is the new venture from Chery, the company behind the stratospherically successful Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo brands. Chery Commercial Vehicle has chosen the UK as its first stepping stone into the European market, and it’ll do so with a mid-sized panel van likely to go against the likes of the Ford E-Transit Custom.

Technical details are under wraps, but a prototype model was shown alongside concepts for the Micro Cargo last-mile delivery vehicle – a single-seater e-van – and the Robot Cargo concept, which is fully autonomous.

Foton

Another new brand, Foton is the latest manufacturer to enter the market through the International Motors distribution group – the same company that deals with GWM, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Isuzu. The Foton C1 electric van has a futuristic flat front and was shown off in short- and long-wheelbase forms as well as a high-roof version.

It’ll feature a 66.7kWh battery for a range of around 270 miles and a large cargo area which was fetchingly decked out in diamond-plate with an upholstered roof in the display models.

Farizon

Farizon is the commercial vehicle arm of the massive Geely, though it’s brought to the UK through international distributor Jameel Motors. After the large SV (Supervan) debuted last year, the smaller V7E model was shown off at this year’s CV show, aiming for the likes of the Vauxhall Vivaro Electric.

Like the SV it’s fully by-wire, has a single well-equipped trim level and a choice of batteries with a maximum range of up to 204 miles.

Ford

Even Ford had something distinctly Chinese on its stand. The new Transit City is a stripped-back, electric-only van that’s come from Ford’s joint venture with Jiangling Motors Corporation. It’ll be built in China and is intended for last-mile deliveries as a lower-cost alternative to the E-Transit Custom.

Also on the Ford stand was the new Explorer van, a car-derived van based on the electric Ford Explorer. It looked particularly good with black steel wheels…

Kia

Kia’s PV5 electric van was the star of the CV show last year, but went on sale initially in just one body size. Kia’s now expanded the range with a short wheelbase as well as a high-roof option, plus new bodystyles through conversion partners such as a Tipper, fridge van or wheelchair-accessible vehicle version.

Renault

The debut of Renault’s Trafic E-Tech at the Solutrans show in 2025 was the biggest news we’ll hear from the French company for a while, but it debuted instead the UK-exclusive Trafic Graphite edition. It’s a well-equipped range-topper that features a sporty makeover including 17-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler and Graphite decals.

Isuzu

The venerable Isuzu D-Max has been given some serious love. First, there’s the new D-Max Electric – a full EV version that has limited range but unlike all other EV pickups so far retains its full 3,500kg towing capacity and 1,000kg payload.

There was also the news of a new diesel engine for the combustion-powered D-Max, replacing the distinctly underpowered 1.9-litre engine that’s been doing service for several years. The new 2.2-litre engine will produce 163hp and be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox or optional eight-speed automatic.

BYD

The rumoured UK launch of BYD’s large e-Valli electric van or Shark pickup wasn’t what the brand had to offer at this year’s CV show. Instead, we saw the Dolphin Cargo – a car-derived van based on the Dolphin electric hatchback.

Iveco

Italian CV manufacturer Iveco has never offered anything smaller than the Daily panel van, but it’s extending downwards thanks to a partnership with Stellantis. The new eJolly and eSuperJolly (yes, those are the real names) are rebadged versions of the Citroen e-Dispatch and Citroen e-Relay (or their Fiat/Peugeot/Vauxhall/Toyota equivalents), but they’ll benefit from Isuzu’s truck-style maintenance and servicing packages.

KGM

Alongside the new Musso EV electric pickup truck, KGM displayed the latest generation of its diesel-powered Musso. It’ll launch in the UK later this year and has a front end very much inspired by the Musso EV. A 2.2-litre diesel engine and six-speed automatic gearbox will be standard.

Change your van with Carwow

Time to trade in your van? With Carwow you can sell your old van quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a van brand new, are after something used or you want to explore van leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for van changing.

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