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This unlikely vehicle is one of Ford's best weapons in its US sales war (f)
Ford
Along with the Mustang muscle cars and GT supercars we expect to see cited in Ford press releases, one unusual vehicle keeps popping up.
It's a van. Yes, a van.
Specifically, it's the Transit Connect, an unconventional-looking minivan that just helped Ford post its best January van sales since 1985.
In the midst of a record-setting year for the Blue Oval and most of the car industry, Ford can thank the Transit Connect for capturing a 69% share of the small-commercial-van market.
Is the Transit Connect Ford's new favorite child?
Ford
It sounds crazy, coming from a company with a stable full of Mustangs and the new GT supercar on the way, but the carmaker seems quite proud of its minivan.
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January 2016's sales were double those of the previous January ...
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... making it the best January since 1985 for Ford vans.
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The Ford Transit Connect still has a long way to go to match class heavyweights like the Chrysler Pacifica (formerly the Town & Country), which has more traditional minivan styling.
Chrysler
Since its launch in 2009, the Transit Connect has captured 69% of the small-commercial-van market.
Ford
Never heard of a Ford Transit? That's understandable. Until a few years ago, it was largely a European or international thing. It got its start as the Ford Taunus Transit in 1953.
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The Taunus Transit was a cool little brick of a vehicle, but it didn't really make much of a splash until ...
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... the restyled, re-badged Transit appeared in 1965.
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Was it ugly? Or was it cute? It certainly walked that line well.
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It became the European utilitarian equivalent of the pickup truck.
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They were also family vehicles: this 1975 Transit has been given a pop-up top for camping.
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As a promotional stunt, in 1971 Ford took the underpinnings of its Ferrari-killing GT40 race car and put it under a Transit body. Thus, the first "supervan" was born.
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A PR video (which you should watch) about the Supervan claimed it had performance figures "only a shade slower than the Le Mans-winning GT40."
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Supervan 2 came in 1984 — this time it borrowed its chassis and drivetrain from the C100 race car and reportedly could hit 174 mph.
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And Supervan 3? That one had 730 horsepower and was mostly Formula 1 parts.
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Most recently, Ford decided to build the longest Transit in history, the Transit XXL.
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But back in the real world, Transits like this 1978 Swiss ambulance often serve communities as emergency vehicles ...
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... or as delivery trucks ...
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... ice cream vans ...
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... trains in Romania ...
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... and to support "major incidents" in the UK.
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China even uses the new Transit Connect as a taxicab.
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They apparently even make good canvases.
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And away from the beaten path, an off-road tour company in Las Vegas uses modified Transits to shuttle guests.
Ford
But mostly they humbly serve delivery services, repairmen, and technicians around the world, as they have for half a century.
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And they come in a whole range of sizes. In America, we get only the biggest and third-biggest models.
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But don't forget: The US has pickup trucks, a market that Ford has ruled for decades and that, unlike in Europe, is usually the American utility vehicle of choice.
Ford
Could the Transit Connect be Ford's next runaway hit in America? Only time will tell.
Ford
See Also:
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SEE ALSO: GM enjoying SUV boom
