Commercial van sales in the US lose share in the first half of 2022 with deliveries down by 21% in an overall market down 18%. As a result, the share of commercial vans of the overall US car market is down to 2.4%, from 2.5% in 2021. However, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: after dropping by more than a third in the first quarter, van sales were actually down just 8% in Q2, in an overall market down 21%. Large vans have contributed mostly to this recovery: small vans are down 35% while full-sized vans are down 17% after a +1% in Q2.
Traditional class leader Ford Transit sees a 19% drop in deliveries, as its share of the class is down by 0.7 percentage points to 30.4%. The only full-sized van to improve on last year is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, up an impressive 46% thanks to the new generation. The Sprinter almost doubled its deliveries in Q2 but was still outsold by the RAM ProMaster. Year-to-date, the Sprinter holds on to the #2 spot it took in Q1. The ProMaster is down 13% so far this year, and is due for a major facelift. Of the classic body-on-frame vans, the Chevrolet Express is still the best seller and it even managed a 1% uptick in Q2, while its sibling GMC Savana even scored a +25%, while outselling the Ford E-Series. Year-to-date, the E-Series still sits firmly inbetween the two GM models. The Nissan NV Van registered 1 (final?) sale in Q2.
In the compact commercial van part of the segment, which accounts for 16.4% of total van sales in the US (down from 20% in 2021), the Ford Transit Connect is still dominant, growing its share of the subsegment to 52.3%, up from 40.7% last year. The Mercedes-Benz Metris has taken a long time for American businesses to warm up to it, but so far in 2022 it almost doubles its deliveries and moves into second place. However in Q2 it was narrowly outsold by the RAM ProMaster City which sees its deliveries drop by a third. Sales of the Nissan NV200 stopped in Q2 as Nissan is pulling out of the van segment entirely.
US commercial van sales 2022-H1
| Van segment | 2022-H1 | 2021-H1 | Change | 2022 Share | 2021 Share | 2022-Q2 | Change | |
| 1 | Ford Transit | 41.828 | 51.713 | -19% | 30,4% | 31,1% | 24.617 | 1% |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | 26.461 | 18.170 | 46% | 19,3% | 10,9% | 15.784 | 91% |
| 3 | Ram ProMaster | 25.289 | 29.009 | -13% | 18,4% | 17,4% | 15.961 | -12% |
| 4 | Chevrolet Express | 21.547 | 29.429 | -27% | 15,7% | 17,7% | 12.687 | 1% |
| 5 | Ford E-series | 12.537 | 17.335 | -28% | 9,1% | 10,4% | 5.336 | -21% |
| 6 | GMC Savana | 9.788 | 11.291 | -13% | 7,1% | 6,8% | 6.803 | 25% |
| 7 | Nissan NV van | 3 | 9.372 | -100% | 0,0% | 5,6% | 1 | -100% |
| 1 | Ford Transit Connect | 14.107 | 16.940 | -17% | 52,3% | 40,7% | 6.750 | -28% |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz Metris | 6.957 | 3.542 | 96% | 25,8% | 8,5% | 3.946 | 118% |
| 3 | Ram ProMaster City | 5.753 | 8.593 | -33% | 21,3% | 20,6% | 4.044 | -25% |
| 4 | Nissan NV200 | 134 | 12.572 | -99% | 0,5% | 30,2% | 0 | -100% |
| Segment total | 164.404 | 207.966 | -21% | 95.929 | -8% |
Source: Manufacturers.