Despite the continuing tough economic times, Ford Motor Co. thinks it has timed the introduction of its new light commercial vehicle just right. Introduced in late August, the compact Transit Connect van is selling on average within eight days of arriving on dealer lots, Ford reports.

The reason for the quick turn is growing optimism among small business owners, the Transit Connect's prime market, according to Ford. The company points to the “optimism index” released last month by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which grew by 6.9% and found 9% of small business owners planning to add staff within the next three months. The survey also found a 3% increase in entrepreneurs who see this as “a good time to expand.”

Ford also points to an August newsletter from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, which reported that small business owners are seeing some economic light at the hopeful end of the tunnel.

“We see rising optimism among small business owners and strong demand for arriving Transit Connect vehicles among this group as reflections of an encouraging economic uptick,” says Len Deluca, Ford Commercial truck director.