AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHT: Ford’s Transit Connect should go after Scion xB
September 9th, 2008 at 5:30pm
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The Scion xB is that boxy car aimed at young hipsters, and now Ford has the kind of vehicle that could go after the same kind of customers.
The Ford Transit Connect is a boxy, delivery van kind of vehicle. But it’s small. Think of a miniature version of the Dodge Sprinter van. But the Ford Transit Connect is a front-wheel-drive vehicle with a 4-cylinder engine.
And it’s so homely looking that it’s got all the potential to become an underground hit. Ford thinks it can sell about 20,000 of these things a year, with 80 percent being cargo van versions, and 20 percent used for carrying passengers.
But I think Ford has a shot at boosting sales of passenger versions by also pitching this as a cool vehicle that fits all kinds of lifestyles, and not just as a staid, commercial cargo van. They should aim it right at the Scion xB. The Transit Connect could absolutely become a cult classic that connects with customers that want to be different.