As part of a lavish event held to announce its European product plan, Ford introduced refreshed versions of its European van fleet on Thursday in Amsterdam: the Transit, Transit Connect commercial van and Transit Connect Wagon. And in keeping with the automaker's strategy of uniting its global vehicle lines, the vans are the clearest indication of the models to be offered in North America.
Ford announced late last year that the new Transit would replace the automaker's E-Series commercial and passenger van in the United States. The Transit nameplate has been a fixture in Europe for more than 40 years, but in America, it was the E-Series, previously marketed as the Econoline, that served as basic, rugged transportation for rock bands, work crews and airport shuttle services.
The 2014 Transit is a tall van in the mode of the Sprinter, a model experiencing considerable success in the United States with a Mercedes-Benz badge on its grille. (Before the dissolution of the Daimler-Chrysler marriage, the Sprinter was marketed in the United States as a Dodge.) According to a news release, the North American version of the Transit will be offered in a range of body styles with varying roof heights and wheelbases. Engines to be offered to American buyers include the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 power plant that has proven popular in the F-150 pickup, as well as a diesel engine, but Ford has not released details about the diesel powertrain.
The European version of the Transit differs slightly from current versions, with more rounded corners and a wide-mouth polygon grille that is more in keeping with the styling of Ford cars than with that of the F-Series truck.
Michael Le vine, a Ford spokesman, said in a telephone interview that the Transit would arrive in the United States in 2013 as a 2014 model. Perhaps providing succor to nostalgia-addled touring bands, Mr. Levine noted that the E-Series passenger and commercial vans would be sold alongside the Transit well into the 2014 model year.
The Transit Connect compact van has been available in the United States since the 2010 model year as a panel-sided commercial van and a window van - or, in Ford's parlance, a wagon. The Transit Connect would never be mistaken for a traditional station wagon, but Mr. Levine said the new model would be much more family-friendly and carlike than the current version.
An even more carlike Transit Connect, the Transit Connect Wagon, is offered to buyers in Europe. Considerably less boxy and top-heavy in appearance than the current-generation Transit Connect, the wagon is fitted with windows that extend uninterrupted toward the rear of the cab. The wagon and commercial van feature sculpted body panels with pronounced wheel-well flares and sharp character lines. The wide-mouth grille makes an appearance, but it is interrupted by a crossbar that might carry a license plate in jurisdictions where required. Ford has not committed to selling the wagon variant outside Europe.
The Transit Connect has operated on a virtually open playing field since it went on sale in the United States, but new competitors like the Nissan NV200, chosen over the Transit Connect as the next fleet taxi for New York, has asserted its position over the last year. That said, the NV200 was already available in other markets before coming to America, and its visual appeal has polarized some critics. It would appear, then, that the new Ford compacts arrive at an opportune time.
Powertrain specifications, pricing and availability for the North American models will be provided at a later date, Ford said.
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