Ford to Bring Van Import Duties Fight to Supreme Court (1)

Ford Motor Co. intends to appeal a Federal Circuit ruling affirming steep duties on imports of its Transit Connect vans to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a Nov. 20 court filing.

The case deals with “tariff engineering,” a process by which foreign manufacturers and U.S. importers can try to legally minimize U.S. import duties on their products.

The U.S. imposes import tariffs of 25% on cargo vehicles, whereas passenger vehicles face duties just one-tenth that. Ford imported its Transit Connect vans with certain features—like a second row of seats and additional footwells and windows—so they would classify as passenger ...