Plans to build the next-gen van in Mexico have fallen through.
FordThe Ford Motor Company will stop selling the Transit Connect in the United States by the end of next year, as plans to build the next-generation vehicle in Mexico have now been canceled, as Automotive News reports.
Citing three sources close to the situation, Automotive News states that Ford’s previous plan to move production of the Transit Connect to the Hermosillo Assembly Plant starting in 2023 has now fallen by the wayside. The move to Hermosillo was planned alongside the upcoming V758 generation Transit Connect’s move to Ford’s popular C2 Architecture. This is the same platform that currently underpins the Ford Escape, Bronco Sport, Maverick and Lincoln Corsair models. The Bronco Sport and the Maverick are already assembled at Hermosillo, while the other two models are built here in the States. The C2 architecture supports both front-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations, as well as a host of different powertrain configurations that could serve Transit customer needs. Ford currently imports every Transit Connect model from their assembly plant in Spain, which has to be more expensive than relying on the busy Hermosillo Assembly Plant.
Ford
The Transit Connect sits atop a struggling segment in the United States, as automakers from across the globe have started to phase out their small van offerings. Nissan, General Motors and even Mercedes-Benz have all killed their segment offerings in the United States as of late, leaving Ford to sit atop the sales throne with just 15,919 units sold through July of this year. According to the report, that is a drop of 15 percent year-over-year. European customers need not worry however, as the sources maintained that the van will remain available for European buyers after leaving the U.S. market.
The move isn’t entirely surprising, especially when you consider Ford’s recent investment into the E-Transit platform. While that electric van is significantly larger than the current Transit Connect, CEO Jim Farley has made the automaker’s commercial vehicle plans via Ford Pro well known. If you’re in the market for a small van like the Transit Connect, now is the time to call your local dealer.
Keyword: The Ford Transit Connect Is Leaving the U.S. After 2023