Ford will stop selling its Transit Connect van in the U.S. after 2023, according to a new report. Ford has declined to comment, but trade publication Automotive News reports that the Michigan-based automaker will get out of the small cargo van business after next year and cancel plans to build the van in Mexico.
Ford will continue to build the existing Transit Connect in Spain but end imports to the U.S. after 2023, the report says.
The Transit Connect fits into a niche as a relatively compact cargo van. The Ram ProMaster City is the only other option if you want a roughly minivan-sized cargo hauler.
But few Americans seem to want one. Transit Connect sales fell about 25% last year and have fallen another 15% so far in 2022. Americans haven’t taken to the small, city-van concept. Companies that buy large fleets of vans might once have been tempted by the idea of a smaller, more fuel-efficient delivery solution. But Ford’s own E-Transit electric van now gives them an option with lower operating costs, while Ford’s lineup of large vans, simply called Transit, meets the needs of other buyers and companies needing a van with more space for cargo or passengers.
That leaves the Transit Connect without an easy role to fill. Ford had planned to develop a new version using the same architecture as the Maverick pickup and Bronco Sport SUV. But, if there’s a market for it, it appears to be outside the U.S.
