SPY PICS: 2016 Ford Transit Custom

An updated 2016 Ford Transit Custom van has been spied at a suburban shopping centre with a mountain bike in the back, the driver unhappy to be sprung doing his Christmas shopping in the crucial global commercial vehicle.

Ford Australia's huge proving ground near Lara is about 15 minutes from Geelong in Victoria, and this is surely where the left-hand drive (LHD) vehicle escaped from, however briefly.

These latest spy pics submitted by regular reader 'Roo' confirm the LHD Ford Transit Custom has been undergoing testing Down Under, and is expected to be released in Europe in 2016 sporting minor changes to the front grille and headlights.

Although the sole 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine is likely to grind out similar power figures as the current 92kW/350Nm unit, it's understood the Ford van will more efficient and emit less CO2 to comply with tightening European emissions regulations.

It's not impossible that Ford is testing a second powertrain for the medium-sized van, which arrived in Australia in early 2014, for LHD European markets.

And the photographer noted the driver wasn't keen to stick around once he started being snapped... Probably because using a top-secret unreleased global vehicle to go mountain biking in the You Yangs or do the Christmas shopping may be frowned upon by Ford's senior executives.

Whatever the case, it's clear evidence that Ford Australia continues to be an integral part of Ford's global research and development regime, a positive fact that the company is keen to champion amid the negativity the closure of its local manufacturing plants will bring in late 2016.