According to the English edition of Sabah, a publication in Turkey, the Ford Motor Company is set to import Turkish-built Transit connects to the U.S. beginning next year. This will mark the first time that vehicles built in the country will be sold in the States.
To be produced in Ford’s Kocaeli facilities, America-bound Transit Connects will make their way across the ocean until Ford can begin assembling them in the U.S. in 2009. While we’ve never heard of the Sabah (the reporting publication) before, this news does jibe with what we’ve learned from our own sources. We expect the vehicle to bow sometime during this show season, possibly as early as this weekend in Detroit.
Will the Transit Connect sell well? It appears to be an ideal vehicle for small urban businesses (e.g. florists, couriers), and could get some play among active lifestyle-types if optioned, marketed, and priced creatively. There are plenty of vehicles of this type abroad (Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo, etc.), but the Transit Connect will likely be a class of one when it arrives in the U.S.
Which versions of the Transit Connect come to the States is up for conjecture - will we get the single-seat panel version, or the passenger-ferrying model with windows? Drivetrains and trim level options are also unknown at this time.
How do you think the TC will fare in America? Would you consider buying one? Click through to the jump for additional images and the link, then leave your say in “Comments
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