Ford Transit Connect To Be Discontinued From The US After 2023

Ford will reportedly discontinue the Transit Connect from the US after 2023, as the automaker dropped initial plans of producing the van in Mexico. According to the same report, the all-new third-gen Ford Tourneo Connect that was unveiled in Europe late last year based on the VW Caddy won’t be offered stateside.

The second generation of the Transit Connect was introduced in 2012, with a facelifted version debuting in 2018. It is offered in both LCV (van) and passenger (wagon) bodystyles, with the latter adopting the Tourneo Connect nameplate in Europe. Both the EU-spec and the US-spec Transit/Tourneo Connect are produced in Valencia, Spain.

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Citing anonymous sources from inside the company, Automotive News reports that Ford canceled the initial plan for developing a new generation of the Transit Connect and producing it in Hermosillo, Mexico starting from 2023. The van would be based on an evolved version of the current model’s Global C2 architecture, shared with the Maverick and the Bronco Sport which are also assembled in Mexico.

According to the report, imports of the Transit Connect in the US will stop by the end of 2023, with Ford declining to comment on future product speculations. We guess that the second-gen model will be discontinued altogether, leaving room for the EU-only third generation that is produced by VW.

The EU-spec Ford Tourneo Connect is based on the VW Caddy and will soon boast an LCV variant called Transit Connect.

Ford is not the only automaker that is expected to leave the small LCV segment in the US, following the example of Nissan and GM due to shrinking sales. Interestingly, the Transit Connect remains the best-selling small van in the US, although overall small van sales have dropped by 15 percent this year.

Following the forthcoming demise of the model, Ford Pro’s US operations will be focused on the larger Transit/e-Transit van and the pickup range comprising the Maverick, the Ranger, the F-150/F-150 Lightning, and the Superduty. Things are different in Europe where Ford is offering a single pickup (Ranger) but more vans, including the upcoming Transit/Tourneo Courier and the Transit/Tourneo Custom.