The Ford Transit Connect van brings more good news for small business owners.  The four cylinder/automatic combination has officially been certified by the EPA at 22/25 mpg city/highway, a 40 percent increase over typical full size vans.

The Ford Transit Connect was specifically manufactured by Ford for small business owners.  The Transit Connect van features low operating and ownership costs, a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter engine, 135.3 cubic feet of cargo space, a payload capacity up to 1,600 pounds, available Ford Work Solutions™ technologies and various cargo management systems make Transit Connect a smart solution.

Ford is the reigning Commercial Truck leader in the United States and the Ford Transit Connect will further grow their leadership to allow even more customers and business owners to experience the ‘Built Ford Tough’ difference. 

Consumers will also enjoy the Transit Van as an efficient vehicle to transport large groups of people and families.   As part of Ford’s aggressive new electric vehicle plan to bring pure battery-powered vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids to market, a battery electric-powered Transit Connect will be offered later in 2010.

For more information on the Ford Transit Connect, visit www.fordtransitconnectvan.com

By James R. Healey, USA TODAY

Here’s one of the best ideas since sliced bread: a compact cargo van that, properly optioned, could just about serve as the family bus.

Ford Transit. Photo by Jack Gruber USA TODAY

If the 2010 Ford Transit Connect doesn’t evoke in spirit, if not appearance, the 1960s Volkswagen Bus, you’re too young, you were too stoned to remember or you have no imagination.

Ford says the official reason for modifying the Euro-market TC for the U.S. is to plug a hole in the market. It’s for business people who don’t want the cost or size of a big van but need something more utilitarian and robust than a minivan or hatchback.

But — wink, wink, nod, nod — there just might be a few surfers, artists, college students, vagabonds and unrehabilitated hippies to broaden TC’s appeal.

Read the whole Ford Transit Connect story…

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 15, 2009 – On any given day, Jen Kiblinger has up to 60 dogs in her life, with many being shuttled between training classes, foster homes and rescue shelters.

And that’s where her new 2010 Ford Transit Connect will serve her well. As president of Circle Tail Inc., a nonprofit organization in Pleasant Plain, Ohio, Kiblinger trains assistance dogs for people with mobility, hearing, neurological and psychiatric disabilities.

“My dogs can be on the road for up to two hours, and I need them to be safe, secure and comfortable,” Kiblinger said. “My new Transit Connect will be great for transporting them in style.”

On Friday, Sept. 18, Kiblinger will receive the keys to the fuel-efficient Ford Transit Connect panel van at the Second Annual Golf Classic in Pleasant Plain, a fund-raising event to support Circle Tail’s new 7,200-square-foot dog training facility and renovate its kennels.

Ford’s Transit Connect went on sale in the United States in July and is enjoying brisk demand. The first full month of sales topped 2,000 units and vehicles are selling in fewer than 10 days of arrival on dealer lots, significantly quicker than industry norms.

“The Transit Connect is ideal for small business owners who – until now – have not had a vehicle designed just for them,” said Damoni Hurt, marketing manager, Ford Transit Connect. “Now, entrepreneurs like Jen Kiblinger have a vehicle that will help them be more efficient in their day-to-day operations.”

Kiblinger also is excited about the visibility Transit Connect will bring to Circle Tail. Her organization’s logo and contact information is stamped on the exterior of the van.

“The vehicle is very eye-catching,” said Kiblinger. “It will help us get our name out in the community. And that’s a huge thing.”

With a cargo capacity of 135 cubic feet, compact maneuverability, and fuel efficiency of 22 mpg city and 25 highway, Transit Connect is the perfect vehicle for a small business on the go.

“We have up to 60 dogs in training at any one time and it seems like we’re always unloading and loading the dogs, along with all the supplies that go with them – collars, leashes, toys, dog food and all that,” said Kiblinger.

Circle Tail Inc., founded in 1997 by Marlys Staley, also handles dog adoptions and provides obedience training and boarding. It’s one of those rare entities that benefits both people and animals, said Kiblinger.

“There’s never been a time when I didn’t love animals,” she said. “And Circle Tail offers the best of both worlds – helping animals while helping people, too. We provide assistance dogs at no cost to the individual, and we offer services to strengthen the human/canine bond, so dogs are more likely to stay with families instead of being given up.”

The organization works with area prisons on dog training. Inmates, schooled by Circle Tail in dog training, learn accountability and responsibility, and the dogs thrive on the extra attention. “Some of the stories you hear from the prisons are amazing,” said Kiblinger. “This really helps normalize the inmates’ lives. And they’re great with the dogs.”

All those trips back and forth in the group’s old minivan took their toll. The Ford Transit Connect, said Kiblinger, is the perfect solution – from its size to its maneuverability.

“This is wonderful,” she said. “We couldn’t believe that we’d actually won!”

Circle Tail’s Kiblinger is one of five small business owners from around the United States to win a customized Transit Connect in Ford’s “Connect with Connect” contest. The versatile new van was introduced in February 2009 at the Chicago Auto Show.

Original story posted on www.Ford.com