Ford Transit Connect may deliver profits

[Transit Connect Guide]

Ford Transit Connect may deliver profits

Van leads wave of new commercial vehicles that could offset revenue lost from drop in pickup sales

Ford Transit Connect Forum - Ford's Transit Connect, a business vehicle used to haul goods such as food and paint, is leading a new wave of delivery vans that may help replace profits lost when Americans fell out of love with pickups.

Nissan will add a commercial van this year from a U.S. plant built to make Titan pickups, while Chrysler may use models from Fiat as the core of a new business fleet. General Motors is also studying a global truck design to enter the category, people familiar with the planning said.

"Now would be a good time to be coming into this market," said Chris Fisher, an analyst at Power Systems Research in Eagan, Minn. "A lot of the increased sales volume will be driven by increased consumer spending in the latter half of the year, which should continue into 2011."

Reaching more commercial-vehicle buyers would help offset a 55 percent plunge in sales of large pickups since 2005 as rising fuel prices chased off casual customers and the recession cut fleet purchases. That collapse robbed GM, Ford and Chrysler of the source of most of their profits in the past two decades.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

[madlock]

Unfortunately, "may" remains the operative word. With about a 180-day supply of vehicles on dealer lots, and monthly sales in the single thousands, it's yet to really establish itself. :(

[john01]

Umm I agree. Ford needs to advertise this van to sell them. The people we meet had no idea Ford made a mini workvan. Heck I've sold two for them just talking with customers and showing them my TC. Or mabye that's the plan; let us sell the TC's for them. So far mine is working great!