http://www.jalopnik.com/5866019/ford-officially-kills-e+serieseconoline-replaces-with-transit-van
I saw this and thought 'Jaguar?' (oh, E-Series, not E-Type)
If that means I can have a manual transmission, diesel engine, and 4wd, I'll be happy. If not, Ford will have disappointed me yet again, which I've come to expect.
By the way the guy is shifting in that video, it looks like it could possibly have a manual. 
Does Ford have a 4x4 Transit?
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: By the way the guy is shifting in that video, it looks like it could possibly have a manual.
There are conversions... which I'm sure will be picked up on by the people doing E seires conversions. Mostly I just want it to come with a diesel and a manual.
The E-Series is and has been made at the Avon Lake, OH plant which is close to me and I have some friends who work there. The new van will be made in Kansas but the local spin on the news here is that the Avon Lake, OH facility will make Trucks that are currently made in Mexico. It does not say but my guess is that is either F150 or more likely F250 and larger.
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/avon-lake/news/2011/dec/06/ford-investing-128m-shift-production-ohio
E-Series production does not end until 2013.
My fiend who works there always comments about how Ford has done zero advertising of the Vans in more than 15 years. This basic body style came out in 1992 or a 20 yr product run.
Well its about time!
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: By the way the guy is shifting in that video, it looks like it could possibly have a manual.
seing as how the only place the transit is sold at the moment is [not here], its likely a video of a euro-spec transit. basically, don't hold your breath.
I only wish they were going to be immediately available in the age range I shop vans in...
My E-150 is a 2001 model. It's great for what it is. I'll be in the market for a new van some time in the future.
Strizzo wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: By the way the guy is shifting in that video, it looks like it could possibly have a manual.seing as how the only place the transit is sold at the moment is [not here], its likely a video of a euro-spec transit. basically, don't hold your breath.
Did you watch the video?
This is not surprising. I'll still mourn the E-Series.
The Transit Sabine Schmidt raced around the 'Ring was a diesel manual. I'm not holding my breath we'll see a US market version.
It better be bullet proof and cheap or Ford just screwed the pooch. At 80% market share since the 80s, I don't think I'd be changing it if the decision was mine.
when my band toured Europe we had a transit. we had a driver so i didn't get a chance to drive one but it was a diesel with a manual trans. The driver did tell me that he didn't really like the ford all that much and prefers the Sprinters
Those will look horrible with murals on the side. What the hell is ford thinking.
Just think of the bubble windows!
These look to use interior space much more efficiently than the E-series. They appear to use smaller tires, though... what is the cargo capacity, compared to the E-Series? Will they have the same towing potential as the pretty-much-a-truck E-series?
News report I heard in the last couple of days stated that the current E-series plant would be retooled to manufacture medium duty trucks, so F450 and up.
My company uses E-Series vans and GMC Savannas. They didn't use the Sprinter because it was too tall (even the low roof version) and too expensive.
I think with the Transit being made here in the US will make a huge difference on price.
After watching that video, if you can get an electric ladder rack on the high roof, that would be great. I would love to almost be able to stand straight up in my van.
Toyman01 wrote: It better be bullet proof and cheap or Ford just screwed the pooch. At 80% market share since the 80s, I don't think I'd be changing it if the decision was mine.
As in 80% of the current year?
If that's true, the market is just about as small as sports cars. According to the news, just under 104k have been sold through November, which we can call the whole year 115k for arguments sake.
If that's 80%, then the entire market for vans is about 140k total. For all of them. That, uh, isn't a lot.
And that would also suggest that going to a more common world platform would be an improvement, thanks to cost issues.
We'll see.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Does Ford have a 4x4 Transit?
Will Quigley do one?
GM/Chevy offers an AWD version of their fullsize van, so they may corner the market on that particular niche once the Ford dies out. Might be 100 vans per year!
If GM kills off their van, they might bring in the Opel LCV:
At least they won't be doing what Mercedes/Dodge did with the Sprinter. The Sprinter is a great design, except for that nearly horizontal bus-like steering wheel. I put a few miles on one at an old job. Designed by Mercedes, so well engineered, tough, and reliable, though expensive. Then Dodge dropped their Ram vans and picked up the Sprinter - and built it with the quality many expect from Dodge, which is not so much. So they ended up with these vans that were a good idea to start, but cheaped out on the construction, unreliable (especially the transmissions - yup, it's a stereotypical Dodge all right), AND expensive to repair. Even worse, in the case of the company I worked for, the power liftgates on the back often tore out the sheet metal they were connected to. (Quite possible that's a problem with the aftermarket liftgate design rather than the van itself.)
Which is why I preferred my usual van, a Ford E-150. The driving position was more comfortable. It didn't need a lot of work, and when it did, parts were cheap and common. (That's what happens when you make the same van for 20 years.) The biggest downsides were that it was too small to carry some of our larger equipment, and I couldn't stand up in the back of it.
The Transit could be the best of both worlds. There will also be some family resemblance between it and the Transit Connect, which we've already had for a few years, for most Americans who have never heard of the Transit and its history elsewhere in the world.
that sucks. The Savanna doesn't quite have the 'creeper' status as the E-Series,imo
Glad I just bought my Econo before the seller heard this news. 
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