Dearly beloved. We have gathered here today to mourn the American-market small commercial van. After losing the Nissan NV200, Chevrolet City Express, Mercedes-Benz Metris, and Ram Promaster City, we’ve received official confirmation via Automotive News that the angels are coming for the Ford Transit Connect. By the end of this year, the entire small commercial van genre will be dead in America.
They say a candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. Ford first brought the Transit Connect to America for 2010 as part of the One Ford program, and it was exactly the sort of vehicle small businesses needed. It was small enough to fit down narrow city alleyways, cheap to run thanks to its four-cylinder engine, and offered secure cargo storage. For those holding on to aging Chevrolet Astro and GMC Safari vans, the Transit Connect was a godsend, offering a brand new vehicle with cheaper running costs in the same reasonably compact form factor. What’s more, the Transit Connect appealed to more than just small businesses. Canada Post replaced its Grumann LLVs with Transit Connects, police forces with bicycle units used them because of how many bicycles they fit, some taxi operators switches parts of their fleets to Transit Connects after the Crown Victoria was discontinued. It really was a versatile little van.
[Editor’s Note: I always liked the first-generation Transit Connect. The second generation was cool, too, but I prefer the corrugated, vaguely Citroën H-van look of the original. Both of these were built outside of the US (first gen in Turkey, second in Spain) and Ford did some sneaky shenanigans to get around the Chicken Tax, building them as “passenger cars” with back seats and side window, which were then yanked when they came to America. Sure, Ford got in trouble for it, but I like that they tried. – JT]
Not long after the Transit Connect arrived to market, other manufacturers cooked up their own small vans. Nissan brought the NV200 to America for the 2013 model year and secured a deal to supply New York City with NV200 cabs. Chevrolet took note and instead of building its own small van, rebadged the Nissan NV200 as the Chevrolet City Express. Ram rebadged the Fiat Doblo as the Promaster City for the 2015 model year, importing them to America as passenger vans before taking the windows and seats out to get around the Chicken Tax. Even Mercedes-Benz got in on the action with the slightly larger Metris.
Mid-way through the onslaught of competition, Ford rolled out the second-generation Transit Connect in North America. With two wheelbases, choice of two, five, or seven seats, and multiple powertrains on deck, the segment pioneer continued its reign as small van king by offering a ton of choice. You could even buy one that was ready for conversion to run on compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas. Not only did businesses like the extra choice, families seeking an alternative to bulky modern minivans could buy seven-seat Transit Connect with available overhead storage bins.
Unfortunately, the Transit Connect wasn’t free of controversy. In 2018, Ford announced plans to bring a diesel variant to America, plans that were quickly abandoned, disappointing oil-burner fans across the country. In addition, Ford built Transit Connects in Europe and used U.S. passenger-to-cargo conversions to sidestep the Chicken Tax. While this seemed okay for a few years, U.S. regulators weren’t happy, taking Ford to court for alleged circumvention of some very outdated tariffs. Unsurprisingly, the crushing force of bureaucracy is poised to come out on top, with the Detroit Free Press reporting that Ford may have to pay more than a billion dollars in fines.
As it stands, the tides have turned for the Transit Connect. The next-generation model is a reworked Volkswagen Caddy made in Poland, and as such, likely isn’t a candidate for local manufacture. What’s more, Ford cites decreased demand for small vans in America as part of the reason for discontinuing the Transit Connect. It really is a shame that aside from commercial applications, the small van thing never caught on in America. If you really want one, you best hurry up. The Transit Connect only has the rest of the 2023 model year to live, after which point it’s done. It’s not every day that an entire automotive segment disappears, but that’s what’s about to happen to small vans.
(Photo credits: Ford)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
Ford Might Kill The U.S.-Market Transit Connect In 2023, Marking A Turning Point For Small Vans In America
-
Someone Made The Transit Connect ST Tire-Shredding Van That Ford Didn’t Sell
-
Small Commercial Vans Continue To Die Off As Ram Kills The ProMaster City
-
The Hyundai Stargazer Is A Small Van With A Weird Name And Promises Superb Practicality
-
The Tiny Honda N-Van Gets A Land Rover Defender Makeover And It’s Adorable
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
I find it hard to see a decreased demand, I see them often, and the resale values are still rather high for an older vehicle. I don’t get it.
Toyota’s capacity seems constrained across the board, but assuming that could be fixed, I think a Sienna without all the seats and romper room accessories might be interesting for light duty. I use my NV200 to haul bicycles.
I recall being perplexed at the original Transit Connect’s method of opening the hood. You had to flip the Ford emblem in the grille to the side, insert the (bizarrely shaped) key and turn it.
That’s all well and quirky, but the transmissions were apparently made of plastic.
The method of folding the rear seats on the second gen wagons was equally as perplexing.
For every one Transit Connect I’ve sold over the years, around 4-5 Transits have left the lot, so in my area, I understand why Ford gave the little guy the axe.
That method of opening the hood was pretty standard for European Fords. Isn’t it anymore? Was it never a thing stateside?
We have a fleet of four of these that we use as rolling display vehicles for our products. They’re absolutely perfect for the job; we can display two products on rolling slides out either side, and one more in the back. They’re also easy on maintenance, fuel, and space requirements – we can drive them into display locations if needed, and can readily move them using virtually any auto transport service. We’re gonna grab one more of ’em very soon. Needless to say, I’m really sad to see them leave the lineup, especially since there doesn’t appear to be a replacement in sight.
Chicken tax needs to go away. It probably won’t
I don’t think the unions would support that.
Had a couple at work, full on cargo vans, and a transit and an explorer. I usually tried to take the explorer because it was much more comfortable, followed by the transit, and if necessary, the transit connects. I liked the *idea* of the connects a lot more than the reality: the interiors were not great, the seating position was Ford Focus, the visibility was bad, the motor was wheezy and the trans was terrible, and fir how small they were they got terrible mileage and had a terrible turning circle. I would have much preferred one of the cargo grand caravans or just the smallest Transit as you can see out of them and they’re surprisingly maneuverable.
So, a maverick based connect designed as a van from the ground up would be a much better vehicle and maybe in a few years Ferd will reconsider.
The Transit Connect is definitely one of those vehicles I remember being fetishized on the old site due to its diminutive size and Euro origins. But Ford only built it to appeal to fleet managers and bean counters, not actual drivers. An independent tradesperson will choose a pickup 9 times out of 10, or a full-size van if they really need the space. No family in their right mind would choose a passenger Connect over a similar cost Odyssey or Sienna. Or based on modern family sizes, a cheaper and more fuel-efficient 2-row crossover.
That said, Ford must have something in mind to sell their fleet customers… there are a lot of service companies and utilities that run Connects or another brand of discontinued compact van. I wonder if the Maverick is considered the replacement, or the base model Escape if you need a hatch.
You bring up a good point. When my family was looking at moving up to a minivan, we took a quick look at the passenger Transit Connect and found exactly what you state – poor visibility, bad turning radius, and lackluster fuel mileage. Road noise was also really bad, to the point we wondered if there was any sound deadening installed at all. Needless to say, we love the Honda Odyssey we bought instead.
A mechanic friend knew of a local painting company that ran a fleet of stripped out 2000/2010’s Odysseys. Other than eventual transmission replacements, the things apparently ran forever with a very low $/kilometre.
Will the market shift to Canoo (https://www.canoo.com/)? The new VW ID.Buzz? Is GM working on something for their EV skateboard?
doubtful on Canoo, they seem to be consistently on deathwatch.
“What’s more, Ford cites decreased demand for small vans in America as part of the reason for discontinuing the Transit Connect. “
No… there is demand for small vans IF they have a good combo of fuel economy and value.
The Transit Connect had a mediocre powertrain with unimpressive fuel economy and an MSRP that was too high. The Dodge Grand Caravan was a much better vehicle for less money.
If Ford made a van version of the Maverick hybrid, I’m sure it would sell really well.
As we see whole segments of new vehicles disappear, the thought crossed my mind that Dave Tracy is already living in the future. A world where we all drive 20+ year old cars that are held together with twine and chewing gum, because the car companies long abandoned the idea of making vehicles for specific markets and only making generic POS SUV’s because ‘thats what sells’ – they only sell because we have no other choice! – One size definitely does not fit all
Also, you can have any color you like, as long as it is black.
We live in a world controlled by – and largely populated by – people who are only passionate about 3 relatively basic things: money, food and sex. Many of those people claim they want a vehicle that’s “cool” or “sporty” but when it comes time to invest in a vehicle, they pick something “reliable” and “safe”. And they are more likely to buy vehicles new, unlike the galaxy-brained automotive enthusiast who’d rather “let some other sucker take the depreciation hit”. So since cars are so expensive to make now, they’ve all but given up catering to anyone but the former group. Not to mention the ties between the government and the automotive industry are so close that they’ve been able to make their own regulatory loopholes to exploit, one of which allows them to get away with selling light trucks as passenger vehicles.
We need Nissan to bring the e-NV200 to the US.
I would have bought one of these if they made one with a manual transmission for the US market but sadly they did not.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The Transit Connect is awesome! They’re just jealous and want you to buy an expensive Expedition instead 🙁
Also, passenger versions were imported as-is with no problem.
The Metris doesn’t use the cheat method the others do. Instead, they use CKD kits and reassemble them in an old American Lafrance factory in SC. That’s what Ford should’ve done instead.
They were going to make a third gen in Mexico but abandoned those plans.
I’m surprised that there’s no holdout in the segment for commercial/fleet use. It seems like a bunch of industries adapted to these, including some that were using small pickups before those went away, now they’re gone. What’s the best thing to switch to? Any company fleet managers that read here have thoughts?
That said, I didn’t realize the TC had gotten so expensive, in both passenger and commercial form. Mid-30s?! Surely they dropped some entry variant, because that’s a $10k jump from just a couple years ago.
Considering what high mile 1st gen Connects run for, and the significant improvements made for the current gen, definitely buy one now if you need/want one. Sad that the damn chicken tax is going to kill a small van that tradesmen, small businesses, delivery companies and even a few families have found extremely useful.
When they got busted for evading the chicken tax, the price shot up 25% overnight. That had to hurt sales.
And worse, they also raised the price on the passenger versions not subject to that shit 🙁
The only good tariff is a dead tariff.
Gotta figure there is enough demand for 1 manufacturer to succeed.
I bet the replacement will be on the same platform as the Escape/Maverick, made in Mexico, with some sort of electrified option.
They were going to do that, but abandoned that plan
Perhaps the Maverick is the replacement?
Damn…I have always liked the Transit Connect. It’s a shame to see it, and the rest of the segment, leave the US.
Chicken tax implemented to protect US companies bites US company. Film at 11.
Can these be made in Canada or Mexico and avoid the tariffs?
I feel like part of the problem is that most of these vehicles get run until they… stop running. There was probably a lot of pent up demand when the Transit came out, now everyone has one and they’re going to be running them for another 15 years until they fall apart.
It bet the eventual replacement will have electric options, it would make a lot of sense to build that somewhere in North America so they can take advantage of the IRA as well.
Ford was going to make a next gen in Mexico but decided not to.
This is a weird market since there is definitely a profitable market for this type of vehicle. But the market is small enough that there’s only space for one model of this type of vehicle. Which explains the boom/bust cycle it went through.
Family in Europe love this class of car, their choice of station wagon. In the US we get cladded lifted monstrosities instead. The original TC was fabulous, a person with a tall torso like me had all the room in the world sitting in that thing. But people didn’t go for it, kinda like the Flex rather than an Expedition or whatnot. Sigh.
Smaller vans have been declining in European markets too, and they’ve been buying just as many crossovers. Note the article on the new Espace the other day becoming a crossover; Ford’s own “conventional” MPVs, the S-Max and Galaxy, end production this year. Half of the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK last year were crossovers.
Vans like the Transit Connect have had more life because they do double duty, in commercial applications or throw seats in them for people hauling. But even then most of the vans have been rebadges that someone else produces. Ford and VW have been some of the last holdouts that haven’t shared, but obviously that’s now changing too as they link up.
But with the Espace and S-Max you’re thinking big cars for European standards. Those are being SUV’ed now but in the compact segment, especially in Belgium and France, the small cargo van in passenger form is still deemed a good alternative for MPV’s or SUV’s: they combine a lot of practicality and loading room, a good fuel economy, a car like ride and generally a lower price with the width/length of a compact like a VW Golf for our narrow streets. In my own street, for 30 houses, I can count 13 small vans like a VW Caddy (I also own one), Citroën Berlingo, Renault Kangoo, Ford Transit Connect, Peugeot Express… Also, for bussiness owners, it’s still a good choice for something nimble and cheap on gas next to the big vans like a VW Crafter or Ford Transit. So the market for small compact vans haven’t been declining that much, at least here.
The Ford Transit Connect was always the least of my choices: the interior plastic is too cheap and never liked the seats. That’s why I went VW (and my second choice would have been Citroën for the comfort).
Those were just a couple examples that came to mind, my point wasn’t that they weren’t popular and more about the shift to crossovers which is the case everywhere, we’re not really missing out on vans like this for it. I wouldn’t think these would fall out of favor in the European markets though, if anything I expect the discontinuation of some of the smaller MPVs and the like helped the passenger versions of the cargo vans, for those buyers that leaned to the practical side. Continuing Ford as an example, the B-Max and C-Max both have been out of production for a few years now while Transit Connect continues.
I see lots of Transit Connects in my city. My neighbor owns one for his painting company. I hope that market segment is only vacant for a couple of years.
The premise of the TC and the like sure seemed spot-on, small trade-oriented utility vehicles for the increasingly urbanized America.
But Ford and all the others have/are discontinuing them, so it makes me wonder: what are tradespeople actually driving? Are plumbers driving around in crossovers these days?
The full-on Transit seems like overkill for occupations like electricians who operate in cities/suburbs/exurbs; the only Transits I tend to see are Amazon delivery trucks stuffed with big boxes. What am I missing?
There are a lot of trucks with boxes on the back. Last time I got a plumber he was in a full on Ram Promaster.
I suspect the problem is that they last forever and the folks who have them don’t plan on replacing them until they fall apart.
So maybe in ten years we’ll see a new wave of small vans coming by as the demand reappears.
The other thing to take into consideration is that this segment is expected to move to electric much faster than most others.
I hadn’t thought of that – Ford’s strategically doing this, knowing by the time the cycle play out, it’ll have the Transit Amp or whatever ready to go.
Good. I’m reminded of Gabby Petito every time I see a Connect.
Not that that’s a good reason, but still.
Wait, aren’t these selling really well right now with all the van campers out there?
Would have thought so! Great for stealth solo camping!
You might be thinking of the regular, larger Transit which does continue on – it’s more often the base for the campers. The Connect is smaller and essentially Focus-based, I think they’ve been made into campers but not nearly as often.