The Ford Transit Connect is a compact panel van developed by Ford Otosan, designed by Peter Horbury and introduced by American carmaker Ford in 2002 to replace the older Ford Escort van range, which had ceased production in the same year.
The Ford Tourneo Connect, a leisure activity vehicle, is a basically Transit Connect with side windows and rear seats. All North American Transit Connects are imported as passenger vehicles to circumvent the 25% "Chicken Tax" on imported light trucks.
The Transit Connect employs the Ford C170 platform of the original international Ford Focus - the same platform currently used with the North American Ford Focus.Other than the name, it shares few components with the Transit. The Connect is manufactured by Otosan in an all new production plant at Gölcük, near Kocaeli, Turkey.
The Ford Transit Connect was awarded "Van of the Year 2004" by Professional Van and Light Truck Magazine.
Starting in mid-2009, the Transit Connect will be imported to the United States and Canada. It was first shown in the U.S. at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show and the 2010 model was introduced at the following year's show on February 11, 2009.
Initially, only the long wheelbase version of the van, outfitted with a 2.0L four-cylinder gasoline engine and 4 speed automatic transmission will be offered in the U.S., whereas elsewhere, the 1.8L diesel engine and 5 speed manual transmission is the only available powertrain. An electric version will follow about a year after launch, converted by Smith Electric Vehicles at a U.S. facility.
To build up interest and awareness in North America, Transit Connects specifically equipped as "mobile showrooms" were taken to industrial parks and other appropriate venues in 13 U.S. urban areas in May 2009, with the goal of offering 3,000 test drives to small business owners.
To circumvent the 25% tariff on imported light trucks (known as the 1964 Chicken tax), Ford imports all Transit Connects as passenger vehicles with rear windows, rear seats and rear seatbelts. The vehicles are exported from Turkey on cargo ships owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, arrive in Baltimore, and are converted into commercial vehicles at WWL Vehicle Services Americas Inc. facility: rear windows are replaced with metal panels and rear seats removed. The removed parts are then recycled. The process exploits a loophole in the customs definition of a commercial vehicle. As cargo doesn't need seats with seat belts or rear windows, presence of those items exempts the vehicle from commercial vehicle status. The process costs Ford only hundreds of dollars per van, but saves thousands.