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International year of the van?
Page 31
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So much for DainilerChrysler.What of Ford?
According to reports from Turkish news agency Sabah, Ford is to start marketing the Transit Connect in the United States. Initially, supply will come from the Kocaeli plant in north-west Turkey, home of the JV between Ford Otosan and Koc. Holdings. Turkish-built Connects will be offered to US customers during 2007; US production of the Transit Connect is due to start in 2009.
Some time ago, there was a lot of posturing from the Blue Oval over the prospect of offering an option of front or rear-wheel drive on the European Transit. This came to nothing, but it did suggest that Ford was eyeing up the US market for Transit.
Connecting in the States
Now the Connect is destined for the Land of the Free, and we're left to wonder why. Ford's Fl 50 is still the pickup truck to heat in the US, and while Mercedes-Benz has scored a notable success with its Dodge-badged Sprinter (manufactured within the US as opposed to imported from Europe) it seems an odd time to consider launching a high-profile foreign product into the US.
We also wonder what the US auto workers' union UAW is going to make of Ford importing Fords into the US,given the current state of the business and the fact there's a lot of desk clearing going on in its Dearborn, Michigan HQ.
But delve a little deeper and US interest in the one-tonne sector seems to be developing. Chevrolet's HER panel van is not far away from production, and Dodge recently showca.sed a van version of its Nitro SUV. Moreover, the US motorist has woken up to the fact that diesel is a fuel to be reckoned with, so a European driveline is not out of the question.
A van for the world
Are we ready for a global vehicle, and, if this is the case, will the first example be a van? The Sprinter is now sold in all major vehicle markets, and if Ford can do the business with the Connect one or two other European van manufacturers might follow. We've heard strong whispers about VW taking a look, and there's even talk of Iveco doing likewise.
Either way,EU manufacturers have some distance on their US counterparts in terms of light CV design and production, so if the US light CV buyer can be persuaded of the genre's merits, things could become rather interesting.
The notion of a global vehicle is nothing new: Ford had high hopes for the Mondeo in terms of global supply, and, in truth, the Monde° vi was agenuinely egalitarian machine—equally horrible on all six continents. But, sneering apart, a globalised van market could offer a lifeline to one or two ailing manufacturers. Over the next couple of years, making money is going to be something of an issue if you're in the business of making vehicles, so a market shift such as this might cause. one or two ears to prick up. •