Chicago 2008: Ford Transit Connect live reveal
After announcing a few feature updates in the Ford F150 at the Chicago Auto Show today, Ford unveiled the U.S. version of the Ford Transit Connect. This Euro-style van fits into a greener delivery niche, and Ford certainly made these vans look appealing, with four vans dancing around the stage, each decked out for a different use: musicians, caterers and the like. The Transit Connect gets good mileage for a delivery van (19 mpg city and 24 mpg highway). The designers found a way to pack 143 cubic feet of cargo space into a van that can fit into garages with 6 ft. 8 in. clearance. It won't be available on these shores until the middle of next year, but I imagine these will be pretty solid sellers when they get here.
We've have a video of the reveal soon.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GoodCheer 10:02PM (2/06/2008)
I know it's not at the same price-point, but I really think the Green champion for small delivery vans is the Benz/Dodge Sprinter with the a 3.0l diesel that (repudely) gets 25mpg.
I've also heard the little Isuzu trucks get pretty good fuel economy, despite having a much larger 5.2l diesel.
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Mattias 6:31AM (2/07/2008)
#1: Real life mileage for the Sprinter is around 20 - 22mpg -- at least on german autobahns. Reallife mileage for the Diesel equipped Transit Connect is 30 - 39.
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john riley 1:13PM (2/07/2008)
Are they bringing both WB lengths to N Am, or just the long one?
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David Wright 5:30AM (6/12/2008)
The Transit Connect is the same van that Ford were displaying as a yellowcab taxi, at shows in Chicago and New York.
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080318.007/ford-transit-connect-taxi
And it's the van which Tanfield Group, with Ford's cooperation, are producing as the zero-emission all-electric 70mph Smith Ampere http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com/
Putting two and two together, can we presume we might see an all-electric yellow Ford/Smith taxicab in city use sometime soon? If so, might we also see it as a very practical all-electric family car? If so it would allow Ford to leapfrog the Japaneses contenders in bringing a fully developed highway capable electric car to market.
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