Opportunities Await the Ford Transit Connect in Europe
Photo Source: Ford
Ford produces a vehicle that fits like a glove in the daily lives of most Americans. It may be a small vehicle, but it would transport as much as any small SUV without being less aerodynamic or too tall. It functioned well for small commercial professionals and even recreationally for those seeking to camp without drifting too far away from civilization. That being said, Ford has officially announced an end to the United States-market Transit Connect.
As a matter of fact, the Transit Connect is among a group of small vans that have been discontinued in recent years. As Automotive News points out, it was already suggested, and there were intentions to construct a new trim on the same platform as the Maverick and Bronco Sport, even going so far as to manufacture it in the same Hermosillo Assembly plant in Mexico. Nonetheless, those plans were dismissed in 2022, and from now on, all Transit Connects will arrive from Valencia, Spain, until the end of the 2023 model year. It joins other small vans in the United States that have been terminated, but continue to exist prosperously in Europe, such as the Chevrolet City Express and the Nissan NV200.
Justification from Ford
Ford provided its official explanation for ending the Transit Connect in a press release conveying ideas of reducing global manufacturing costs and complexity and “decreased demand for the compact van segment.” However, the entire van segment is sorely under-advertised; in fact, commercial van sales dipped 11 percent on the whole from the first three quarters of 2021 to the first three of 2022, with the Transit being the best seller itself, undergoing a 13 percent sales decline in that period, according to CarSalesBase.com.
The Transit Connect has been sitting atop a toiling segment in the United States as carmakers from across the globe have begun to slowly terminate their small van offerings. General Motors, Nissan, and even Mercedes Benz have all eliminated their segment offerings in the United States as of late, leaving Ford to sit atop the ever-diminishing sales throne.
A European Beginning
With the Ford Transit Connect officially leaving the segment in North America, the already small van market is desolate. For a limited time, though, customers can still purchase the Transit Connect, as it remains on Ford’s retail website. New pricing begins at $35,995 MSRP (Plus destination fee) for the cargo variant, while the passenger version commences at $41,695 MSRP (Plus destination fee).
The new, Europe-only trim will be underpinned by Volkswagen’s MQB platform, much like the Tourneo Connect. Even though small van sales have dealt with a marked slump for some time now, the same cannot be said for the full-size van segment, as the Blue Oval continues to expand its full-size Transit lineup with the all-electric E-Transit and the upcoming Transit Trail, which is an off-road-oriented iteration already on sale in Europe that was recently integrated into the automaker’s United States lineup as well.
Even though the Transit Connect is reaching the end of its days as far as the United States market is concerned, the small van market still has the opportunity to grow in Europe. After all, Ford is not merely a company that distinguishes itself with vans but with a variety of vehicles that you can be privy to at Sunrise Ford. We ask you to please take the time to look over our new vehicle inventory or, if you are considering purchasing a used vehicle, we have a large array available to you.