Posted on 06/16/2021 6:05:15 PM PDT by Leaning Right
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal asked for by Ford regarding import duties on some Ford Transit Connect vans. The decision could cost Ford up to $1.3 billion in penalties.
The vans were built in Turkey and imported into the U.S. The problem, though, is that Ford declared that they were passenger vans. That meant that the company only had to pay 2.5% import duty on the vehicles, rather than the 25% duty levied against cargo vehicles as part of what is commonly referred to as the “chicken tax.”
* snip *
It [the Justice Department] alleges that the Ford fitted the vans with “a temporary, cheap rear seat that was designed to be immediately removed as soon as the van cleared” customs.
(Excerpt) Read more at carscoops.com ...
I miss real cars. Big cars.
Big cars WITHOUT center consoles.
I have nowhere to put my purse when other passengers are in.
Almost purchased a Case or New Holland mid size tractor, then found out it was made in where the Transit is.
Toyota used to import their small Pickups without the Bed.
They manufactured the Beds here and installed them on the imports.
This was due to the import tax situation at the time.
“ I hear you. But I’m having a tough time finding a good American-made small truck (and it gotta be small). I won’t buy one made by a foreign company. At least with the Ford Maverick the profits are going to America.”
Well, Honda is a foreign company, but the Ridgeline is the most American made of all the pickups sold in the US. When picking between a car made by an American company and a car built by American workers, I tend to side with the workers. To each his own…
Ha! In Kansas you could drive a car at age 14 — to and from school and on agriculture-related trips.
My first big auto accessory purchase was a 50 pound sack of fertilizer to put in the trunk of the car whenever I took it out for a spin!
In Thailand years ago they banned the importation of teak logs to prevent deforestation in Burma. But teak furniture was OK. So the logging companies milled the lumber in to big planks, coated them in polyurethane or something similar and called them tables. Then when the were delivered to Thailand they stripped the polyurethane off.
Why we need a tariff....
This was due to the USMCA. No tariffs. Or chicken tax, I think.
Well the EPA was able to steal 19 billion from VW over their diesel automobiles which are the best. Today VW sells diesel cars all over but not in the USA. Their diesel cars are very high MPH. The highest of hi-tech when it comes to their diesel engines.
I see Transit vans here used as work vans. By electricians and the like. Some are on the small side. I have seen large Transits that can seat 9 or more in Europe.
We have a Transit Connect wagon. You wouldn’t believe what we’ve managed to get home in that thing.
I love square cars.
Scotty Kilmer is the best youTuber on automobiles. You just reminded me that he has three videos I must see, that I book marked. There is also a v good Australian guy who likes to go on about how useless Tesla automobiles are.
You want to buy a new or used car? Check out its youtube reviews.
That would of been to smart for the MBA’s that control every big business in ‘Merica thee days.
Note to Ford: Wanna make me really happy, find a way to bring back the Ford Model 48. Those were sweet.
It doesn’t even have to be a bench seat. I grew up with big cars, culminating in huge Town Cars, that had individual adjustable seats. Point is, they were flush with each other, not “bucket seats”, and one had a space between for anything from a full adult to a purse.
And yes, one can get out either side when in a crunch….such as because of idiots who park far too close with their dinky cars.
I’m mystified why these cars/trucks today don’t have a console big enough to hold a decent purse. Ford at least had a “crossover” that had a big dugout area under its seat where the purse could be pushed away…not getting in my feet while driving.
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