Yesterday Ford announced that the long-serving E-series vans will be directly replaced by a global full-size Transit. We already knew the next Transit would be sold here in the U.S., but it wasn’t clear whether it would be sold alongside the E-series or replace it outright. The answer is mostly the latter.
The majority of the E-series lineup will be succeeded by the Transit, but the heavier-duty E-series chassis cabs will stick around. These larger, stripped chassis underpin box trucks, motor homes, and other beasts of burden. Aside from the chassis cabs, though, the E-series line will go the way of the dodo sometime after 2013. The passenger version of the E-series will continue to be produced for a short while after the Transit goes on sale, presumably until the passenger Transit arrives.
The current Euro Transit is available in a variety of different drivetrain, chassis, and cab configurations, including front- and rear-wheel drive, high and low roofs, various wheelbases, and numerous engines—including, of course, diesels. While Ford didn’t explicitly confirm it, a good chunk of that variety should make it here. Ford reps stress that the Transit will be a direct replacement of the E-series, which we take to mean we’ll get the rear-driver, as well as multiple wheelbases and lighter-duty chassis cabs. Diesels? Ford isn’t talking powertrains yet, but we’ll have another opportunity to dig for info when the Transit makes its North American debut, probably at the upcoming Chicago auto show. The likelihood of a sport model making it here? An enthusiast can hope…
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