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DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. is expected to reveal a small delivery van for the United States at the Chicago Auto Show.
The Transit Connect is expected to go on sale in 2009.
The Transit Connect is built in Turkey on a more robust version of the front-drive platform that underpins the European Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and Volvo S40. The van is sold in Europe in multiple commercial configurations, powered by a 1.8-liter diesel engine.
In Chicago, Ford is expected to show commercial uses, and maybe a personal use, for the Transit Connect. Ford has shown the van to U.S. dealers and analysts. With higher gasoline prices in the United States, the automaker foresees demand for a smaller, more fuel-efficient van that can be used for small-item delivery or for tradespeople who do not carry bulky equipment.
Some analysts have said that Ford could begin assembling the Transit Connect in North America during the next decade. |
