New York Auto Show: Ford Transit Connect Taxi Concept

Staff Report

Ford shows a promising signal that the future is brighter than we think.

03-19-08: Yeah this is a Mustang news site, but it is also about Ford. This story is to us, one of the most significant for Ford this year. At the Chicago auto show last month, Ford revealed the American market Transit Connect cargo van that is coming next year from Europe. A brilliant move, this new van is going to take the market by storm offering small businesses an inexpensive and superlatively efficient option for deliveries. Nobody else will offer anything like it in America. Period.

If that weren’t enough, Ford has unveiled a Taxi-cab concept of the uber-utility van at the New York Auto Show. With the Crown Victoria’s future up in the air, the Taxi industry has been looking at what they will be using 10 years from now. Ford, a leading provider of taxis in North America, is offering a fresh take on what a taxi may look like soon.

“Taxis are an important part of the urban landscape, and the Transit Connect Taxi concept represents a potential game-changer, given its small footprint, comfortable, spacious interior, fuel-efficient engine and affordability,” said Mark Fields, president of The Americas. “We’re interested to see how people react.”

Advertisement

The Transit Connect Taxi concept offers a new perspective on how to move people and their gear through congested city streets – more cleanly, efficiently and with new technology that could revolutionize the taxi industry. Built on a dedicated, commercial vehicle platform and tested to Ford’s toughest truck standards, Transit Connect is specially made to meet the extreme demands of taxi service. This is important to taxi fleet operators, as down time and repairs can kill the bottom line. This is one of the reasons Ford has always been on top, the deliver reliability.

With its standard, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, Transit Connect delivers estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city – a more than 30 percent improvement in fuel economy and nearly 90 percent lower tailpipe emissions than many of today’s traditional taxis.

It’s tall design is able to accommodate three rear-cab passengers and 75 cu. ft. of parcels. The Transit Connect Taxi concept gives “curb service” new meaning. With 6.5-inches of ground clearance, passengers step easily through the sliding doors and into the cab, instead of sliding down into the back seat. The concept’s standard high-roof van offers ample headroom, accentuated by a vista roof that brightens the three-person passenger compartment and provides views of the urban architecture.

The Taxi concept also features a new electronic infotainment and navigation system that shows passengers their accumulating cab fare, and a scrolling news, weather, sports score and stock ticker. Using the 13-inch diagonal touch screen, passengers also can select their choice of video and music channels, follow the taxi’s journey on a map or scroll through a list of points of interest along the route – including restaurants, museums and shops.

Once at the destination, the screen displays the fare with options to pay via cash, credit or debit. Cardholders can swipe their card, enter a pin number for debit, calculate the tip and complete the transaction right from their seat. Cash-paying passengers can use “Sputnik,” a rotating billet aluminum softball-sized orb that replaces the outdated sliding ashtray used on today’s taxis.

Ahead of the partition, the driver’s area comes with a fold-flat passenger seat that doubles as a work station. The Transit Connect Taxi concept is equipped with a special version of the Ford Work Solutions integrated computer.

The in-dash computer, powered by Microsoft Auto, provides full high-speed Internet access via the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network and works with Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. Thanks to Garmin navigation, the system features real-time weather and traffic information, allowing drivers to find the most trouble-free routes.

Launched in 2003, Transit Connect was named International Van of the Year its first year in-market. Transit Connect will come to the U.S. in summer 2009, as a brand-new offering for small business owners seeking fuel-efficient, flexible transportation with plenty of room to fit their needs.

“Transit Connect provides another example of how Ford is leveraging its global product assets,” Fields said. “Small business owners have told us how eager they are to see this product come to the U.S. next year, and it will be interesting to see how many other types of customers might want a Transit Connect in their garage or driveway as well.”

We say bring it on Ford! This new vehicle may not be sexy like a Mustang, but the cargo and combination cargo/passenger versions will offer business owners a whole new suite of capability and affordability that we don’t get with the bloated and aged Econoline vans.