Ford Motor Co. plans to unveil today the North American production version of the 2010 Transit Connect, a commercial van, at the Chicago Auto Show, and to announce its intent to produce an electric version.The gasoline engine-powered version is to go on sale this summer for $26,799, while the plug-in, battery electric version is to arrive in the second half of 2010.
The electric van is to be powered by a lithium-ion battery and offer an expected maximum range of 160 kms from a fully charged battery.
The battery electric version of Transit Connect is a centerpiece of Ford's plans to add four new electric or hybrid vehicles to its lineup over the next four years, said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of product development.
And while the initial sales volume of the electric version of Transit Connect might be low, the battery-powered commercial van is a "precursor to higher-volume applications of electrification," Kuzak said.
Ford plans to introduce a new battery electric vehicle the size of its Ford Focus compact car in 2011, as well as next-generation hybrid vehicles in 2012 and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2012.
In January, Ford named Magna International Inc. as its partner for electric vehicles for general consumers.
But for Transit Connect, Ford is partnering with Smith Electric Vehicles, a unit of Sunderland, England-based Tanfield Group.
Smith Electric Vehicles is to convert Transit Connect into a battery electric vehicle in the United States at a location that has yet to be announced, said Mike Tinskey, Ford's manager of hybrid programs.
"What we tried to do is segment the electric-vehicle market into two, so we have the retail market, which is Magna, and then the commercial market, which we believe is going to be a high percentage of fleet customers," Tinskey said. "So that's why we chose a different partner that actually knows the fleet customer."
The gasoline-powered version of Transit Connect debuted in Europe in 2003.
Ford executives said the small commercial van is perfect for both large commercial customers and small-business owners who do a lot of driving in cities and congested areas.
Ford said the gasoline-powered van that goes on sale this year will deliver at least 20 miles per gallon in the city and 24 m.p.g. on the highway.
Transit Connect has been a successful vehicle for Ford in Europe since its inception, Kuzak said, but sales of the vehicle dropped last year as the entire European automotive industry struggled with a global recession. In 2008, sales of Transit Connect in Europe dropped 27.8% to 56,500.
"From the point of its introduction, it was winning new customers," Kuzak said, because of a number of attributes, such as its car-like handling. "All of those attributes ... apply just as well for our commercial vehicle customers here in the U.S."
Posts
