July 15, 201213 yr According to Wkiipedia... Ford currently imports all of its Transit Connect models as passenger vehicles by including specific items, e.g., rear windows, rear seats and rear seatbelts. The vehicles are exported from Turkey on cargo ships owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL), arrive in Baltimore, and are converted back into light trucks at WWL's Vehicle Services Americas Inc. facility by replacing rear windows with metal panels and removing the rear seats and seatbelts. The removed parts are not shipped back to Turkey for reuse, but shredded and recycled in Ohio. The process exploits the loophole in the customs definition of a light truck: as cargo does not need seats with seat belts or rear windows, presence of those items automatically qualifies the vehicle as a passenger vehicle and exempts the vehicle from light truck status. The process costs Ford hundreds of dollars per van, but saves thousands in taxes Now, if we could just put all of that effort into actually putting people to work, we'd be set....
September 22, 201312 yr I agree, that loop de loop seems totally unnecessary. Our government and the auto industry need to figure out that they need to close loophole, but give some incentive, to keep industry and jobs here. Originally from Detroit I find that Washington does not understand the auto industry...just look at the GM bailout, closed plants here opened em in China! They just bailed our dollars and jobs to China.
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