A small van based on the Ford Maverick may be available at car dealers as early as next year. Recently, a report surfaced that showed some future models for Ford. This report included several Mustang variants, but the most interesting was the inclusion of a small van based on Ford’s compact pickup.
Replacing the Transit Connect
Originally, Ford planned to build a new generation of the Transit Connect van at a Mexican assembly plant where the Ford Bronco Sport and Ford Maverick are currently built. The van was planned to ride on the C2 platform that is also used for the above models. However, Ford decided against this due to a significant drop in sales for compact vans in the US.
The Transit Connect was discontinued after the 2023 model year, but a physical prototype of the Ford Maverick van was recently revealed. Ford hasn’t revealed what the van will be called or when it might enter production. However, the automaker did say that it would likely replace the Transit Connect.
Meanwhile, the Transit Connect continues to be sold in Europe as a rebadged Volkswagen, thanks to an agreement between Ford and Volkswagen that went into effect a few years ago. There are still plenty of Transit Connect vans at car dealers around the US as well.
Remembering the Transit Connect
Ford announced the cancellation of the Transit Connect in March 2023. The reason was mainly due to declining sales in the United States. The van was totally redesigned for continued sales in Europe. As of August 2024, there are still plenty of Transit Connect vans for sale at car dealers around the country, and Ford has turned the consumer site for the Transit Connect into a farewell site.
In Europe, the Transit Connect is actually more like a rebadged VW Caddy with the same drivetrain and power output. It has simply been renamed to fit into the Ford family. Production of the Transit Connect at the Spain plant ended in late December of last year, but the new model debuted for the 2022 model year in Europe.
Ram Aims To Compete With Ford
One of the reasons that Ford may have decided to come up with a new small van is that Ram is also getting ready to debut a new small van. Ford’s commercial business is called Ford Pro and now Stellantis has created Stellantis Pro and Ram Professional, which will operate as a separate business unit.
Ram now plans to offer a small commercial van in the US. That decision came shortly after Ford canceled the Transit Connect. It seems that Stellantis is directly targeting the success of Ford Pro to rev up its own business. This is no surprise considering the company has previously stated that it would like to grow its market share in the US commercial vehicle sector.
The rivalry with Stellantis and the success of the Ford Maverick truck may have played a role in Ford’s decision to base a small van on the Maverick and re-enter that market sector.
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