Transit Connect Sales Dud?

[F250]

News Alert...the TC is a sales dud IMO. Living in Metro Detroit, I hardly see them on streets months after hitting market. Ford has never sold more than 2,400 of them months after being at dealerships. Bill Brown Ford used to have lots on lot, but hardly orders them anymore. Blackwell Ford quit ordering them because no one wants one.

 

I doubt if Ford will build the TC here since it hasn't been a good seller in states. I would think that Ford had hoped to sell at least 5,000 of them/month, but so far not even close. Ford needs another 2,000/month seller like it needs a hole in the head. I look for Ford to pull the plug on the TC if it doesn't sell any better. Ford sells 10,000 E vans/month and only 2,000 TCs/month. That isn't going to go on forever.

 

I would have thought the TC would be a good seller with so many small businesses maybe needing a cargo van like the TC, but so far that hasn't happened. When you consider how big this country is and all the potential customers, 2,000 sales/month is abysmal.

 

You're right but most around here will never admit it.

First they say the low sales are because "production is limited" Bullshit. A quick check of S/E Va dealers show ALL of them have more than a dozen in stock and 2 have more than 25 in inventory...waiting for buyers. But to listen to blind fans around here you would think they are as hard to get as Shelbys.

 

Then they try to jump you because you mentioned the Detroit area so I highlighted in bold print that you were talking about nationwide sales.

[banker55]

What l have never understood coming from Europe is why Ford USA don't build more cars in Detroit Michigan?

 

If non-American Toyota can be bothered to build a Camry Stateside why can't Ford build the Fusion in Detroit you are an American Car Company that that was founded built up from within Detroit Michigan with American hands surely with all the money Fords makes from around the world you think some of it was ploughed back into the USA supporting benefiting Americans in high unemployment black-spots like Detroit Michigan its home base rather than letting Motown become ghost town, its been sad to watch what do you think Jason?

 

Why is it Toyota have the "Can Do" Camry's, why does what causes Ford to have the "Can't Do" Fusions mentality Jason its something l just don't understand looking in from Europe here Ford of Europe builds everything for the European market except the Ford Ranger which was Fords worst selling vehicle in Europe last month only 300 rangers got sold here surprise, surprise!! I wonder why?

 

Why does Ford treat Americans who live in Detroit Michigan like shit at its home base, did somebody shit in Bill Fords cornflakes if we can build the FOE Mondeo within Europe (Ford has Mondeo plants scattered all around the world building next to nothing) why don't you get a plant in Detroit building Fusions?

 

You can't help but think if Ford built the Fusion in Detroit Michigan sales would jump to 30,000 a month and the Camry would get kicked in touch as a result of it, l just can't understand why Ford are trying to save a few dimes on production in Mexico and lose and hand the market to Toyota on a plate, and give the folk of Detroit Michigan a good kick 'n whilst they are down and out with sky high unemployment, ermmmm Ford are a great American Company you know how to build smaller Focus's in the US, have Ford lost the plot Jason?

How many Fords cars does Ford build in Great Britain....their largest market in Europe ...why?

[suv_guy_19]

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Edited July 3, 2010 by suv_guy_19

[MRZJ]

Ummm....

 

You are getting exited about a Transit?

As about exciting as a Mondeo...

 

Things must be going pretty bad in the US if a 'postal' van gets a mention

[ibinubu12]

Its been great seeing Big Al & UAW working together sorting out problems rather than trying to kill each other attitudes that were around before.

 

Sometime you have to be tough to be kind to get costs under control, UAW should now be saying to Big Al what can we do help facilitate bringing Fusion production to Detroit Michigan that is now a high unemployment black spot.

 

Ford USA car building quality is just as good as Mexico the rise in it has more to do with poor Toyota "Design" quality, a "Made in the USA" Fusion would see sales jump to 30,000 and destroying the All American Camry trojan horse sales. It would create more American pay packets in turn lead to more money spent in the US economy, and relieve the high unemployment tax burden that 10 million unemployed Americans cost to keep to produce nothing.

 

Ford is an American company? One of the perks should be you build everything a your home base like Toyota do in Nippon, Ford of Europe do it (Apart from FOE worst performer - 300 pick-up sales Thai Rangers last month) why whats the point if you give all your jobs to everybody else?

 

You guys make it out like Ford woke up in 2006 and said "let's screw the American worker, Detroit's not ghetto enough yet" and then decided this year that they weren't finished and decided to add the Fiesta to Mexico.

 

Well yes, they do build 4 (soon to be 3) models in Mexico. But they build 7 (soon to be 4) in Canada, and nobody seems to have a problem with that.

 

Hermosillo has been open since the days of the Mazda 323 based Mercury Tracer. Cuautitlan has open for business since 1964.

 

These are not new plants, unlike GM and Chrysler in Ramos Arizpe and Saltillo .

 

Ford hasn't built a new plant in North America since 2004, and that was in Dearborn, Michigan. In fact, Ford has reopened it's Windsor Engine Plant. How come we aren't up in arms about that?

 

Ford didn't know how the TC would do here in North America. Neither did Toyota when it introduced the Camry. Toyota did NOT say "we're going to open an assembly plant in the US so we can sell our first car there".

 

Just let the E-Series run to the end of it's cycle. You'll all be appeased then. 4

[rmc523]

Good point FJM,

F NA has had C170 Focus for years, why they never produced the TC at Wayne is beyond me...

There is no reason why more suitable cars can't be built in the US now that costs are under control

 

Well, it'll be produced here soon enough.

[keoni]

I see Connects quite frequently here in Seattle, though I live and work downtown. I doubt I'd see them as often if I went to the burbs.

[RichardJensen]

A quick check of S/E Va dealers show ALL of them have more than a dozen in stock and 2 have more than 25 in inventory...waiting for buyers.

 

You don't know that they're 'waiting for buyers', ESPECIALLY if you used Ford's inventory search tool which shows vehicles in transit, and it shows vehicles that are custom ordered (e.g. large fleet purchases) as well as dealer allocation.

 

Heck, depending on how their system is configured, they may even be showing TCs that are being put on a boat in Turkey.

[jpd80]

You don't know that they're 'waiting for buyers', ESPECIALLY if you used Ford's inventory search tool which shows vehicles in transit, and it shows vehicles that are custom ordered (e.g. large fleet purchases) as well as dealer allocation.

 

Heck, depending on how their system is configured, they may even be showing TCs that are being put on a boat in Turkey.

 

so all that data base tells you is that there are vehicles in the order and delivery system.

[forddaughter]

The Huron, Ohio Artino's doesn't even stock them. They aren't selling. People around here don't like them.

[RichardJensen]

OTOH, they're selling fine around here.

 

I think this is comparable to the Flex. It's not a vehicle that appeals to traditional Ford customers.

[7Mary3]

When I first heard the Transit Connect was coming stateside, I thought it would be a good seller. Market pretty much to itself, and nothing really comparable since the old Dodge Caravan CV. I have a friend that is a general contractor, and he is looking for a vehicle to replace a Brand X small pickup he uses for light jobs, inspections, and bidding. I suggested he look at a TC, and he did. He will not consider it. While he liked the size and the concept, he was turned off by the price and the lack of quality. He commented that it was a tin can, and he might be interested if the price was around $10,000. No way would he pay more than that. Another friend looked at them just this past week. He is an architect, and thought the TC would be handy for going to jobsites and carrying models, large drawings, ect.. He thought the price was steep, but not a deal breaker. He commented on the 'quality' too, and noted that there were a number of broken plastic parts in the new one he saw on the dealer's lot. I wonder if quality control is going to be an issue.

[RichardJensen]

I think it was a mistake for Ford to present this as a 'shiny happy' van--such that your architect friend thought it would be anything other than, well, a van.

 

It looks all Euro-ey, and Ford encouraged that with its promotions, so you've got these Europhiles and sophisticates thinking that they're getting something besides a van. Instead, well, it's a van.

 

I guess, knowing the product a bit better, if I were an architect, I'd never consider that thing as suitable. It's, well, a van.

[Mark8LSC CE0464]

Guess I'll be the lone wolf in the wilderness here. Yes, I bought one for my company and after mine was spotted by the plumber down the street in my industrial complex, he bought eight of them. I drove from Omaha to Memphis (700 miles) and counted 29 on my way down.

[7Mary3]

I think it was a mistake for Ford to present this as a 'shiny happy' van--such that your architect friend thought it would be anything other than, well, a van.

 

It looks all Euro-ey, and Ford encouraged that with its promotions, so you've got these Europhiles and sophisticates thinking that they're getting something besides a van. Instead, well, it's a van.

 

I guess, knowing the product a bit better, if I were an architect, I'd never consider that thing as suitable. It's, well, a van.

 

I think he has very realistic expectations about what sort of vehicle the TC is (this guy does commercial and municipal buildings). It was interesting that he didn't balk at the price as the contractor did. The turn-off was the broken parts, not the lack of creature comforts. He may look at them again.

[Mark B. Morrow]

The TC is becomming quite common here in Pittsburgh. I see several on a daily basis.

[rmc523]

so all that data base tells you is that there are vehicles in the order and delivery system.

 

 

I'm not sure how it works down under, but yes pretty much.

 

The Huron, Ohio Artino's doesn't even stock them. They aren't selling. People around here don't like them.

 

Is it that they don't stock them, or that there stock is gone because they've all been sold? LOL

[jpd80]

I'm not sure how it works down under, but yes pretty much.

 

 

 

Is it that they don't stock them, or that there stock is gone because they've all been sold? LOL

 

Down here, dealer stock is the only inventory we have, everything locally is built to order.

At the moment, Broadmeadows is booked solid through to end of August but customers

are waiting up to 3 months for specific Focus and Fiesta models to be made and imported.

Edited July 4, 2010 by jpd80

[Ford Jellymoulds]

OTOH, they're selling fine around here.

 

I think this is comparable to the Flex. It's not a vehicle that appeals to traditional Ford customers.

 

One of Fords biggest customers for the Connect in Europe is Britons Royal Mail Richard, what type of van delivers or your eBay parcels Stateside?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfuLFBQTo4U

 

 

 

[Ford Jellymoulds]

I think it was a mistake for Ford to present this as a 'shiny happy' van--such that your architect friend thought it would be anything other than, well, a van.

 

It looks all Euro-ey, and Ford encouraged that with its promotions, so you've got these Europhiles and sophisticates thinking that they're getting something besides a van. Instead, well, it's a van.

 

 

 

 

Were not be gonna be giving you our spacious roomy euro-ey very practical Fiesta vans from Europe with sophisticated low drag co-efficients with aerodynamics that Nick would die for in a "Van" now that you called them a "van" Richard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vans for Architects who lives in a converted water tower.

 

Its an Aerodynamic wet dream please don't call it a van, the van that Nicky and his architect friend wont be getting Stateside.

 

 

 

 

Pizza Vans, sorry aerodynamic dream machine for the up and coming service sector delivery professional, or Pizza boy to you and me.

 

 

 

 

 

KA the only aerodynamic dream way Europhiles do a practical house move coming to you soon if you don't stop moaning about the Transit Connects on BON unless the EPA, Californians or Obama get their legislation on C02 global warming shit passed first.

Edited July 4, 2010 by Ford Jellymoulds

[rmc523]

One of Fords biggest customers for the Connect in Europe is Britons Royal Mail Richard, what type of van delivers or your eBay parcels Stateside?

 

This is what our mail trucks look like:

 

 

 

 

But, I did do a chop a while back of what a TC could look like in USPS attire:

 

 

[Ford Jellymoulds]

This is what our mail trucks look like:

 

 

 

 

But, I did do a chop a while back of what a TC could look like in USPS attire:

 

 

 

Nice rendering folk are very talented on BON. I though Ford would have sold lots of Connects to somebody like USPS and utilities like gas, electric & phone companies. Does Ford sell the Connect Tourneo to private buyers Stateside?

 

Your USPS is more closer to Postman Pats van where is it made?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rmc523]

Nice rendering folk are very talented on BON. I though Ford would have sold lots of Connects to somebody like USPS and utilities like gas, electric & phone companies. Does Ford sell the Connect Tourneo to private buyers Stateside?

 

Your USPS is more closer to Postman Pats van where is it made?

 

That was a very easy chop actually, but thank you. As was stated before, the US is only receiving 25,000 TCs this year, so sales to someone like the USPS or other utility companies like you mentioned would be limited if any occurred. Down the road, when the TC is produced here, I could definitely see it being sold to those types of companies, though. And no, we do not get the "full" Tourneo Connect - the closest we get is the Transit Connect with 2nd row windows and seats - no 3rd rear windows.

 

From Wikipedia:

The mail van used by the USPS nowadays is the Grumman LLV, pictured at right. This is a custom-made mail van manufactured by Grumman Corporation, whose USD 1.1 Billion dollar contract with the USPS was for 99,150 vehicles in 1986. They were originally intended to last for 24 years, three times the lifetime of the mail vans that they replaced. Production of the LLV began in April 1987 in Grumman's plant inMontgomery, Pennsylvania. The vehicle is built on a General Motors chassis, is 175 inches (440 cm) long, weighs 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg), can carry up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of mail, and is driven by a 2.5 litre General Motors four-cylinder engine. In 1991, Grumman was awarded a further USD555millions contract for a further 43,500 vehicles.

[BORG]

I live in Detroit and see them everyday, never think twice about it now.

[ausrutherford]

Nice rendering folk are very talented on BON. I though Ford would have sold lots of Connects to somebody like USPS and utilities like gas, electric & phone companies. Does Ford sell the Connect Tourneo to private buyers Stateside?

 

Your USPS is more closer to Postman Pats van where is it made?

 

 

Sadly not.