Ford announced today that the evergreen E-series Econoline will be replaced in 2013 with the European Transit van. The new full-size vans will be built in Ford's Kansas City plant, and will possibly debut at the Chicago Auto Show. Say farewell to the E-Series — the era of the T-conoline is now upon us.
It's not a surprise to the countless dozens who already heard the expected news, but the official announcement came in the form of this video, detailing the testing regiment for the Transit, which serves as Ford's workplace van for Europe, Asia, and other global markets. Ford's corporate goal is to prove to Americans that the new global van will be tough enough for the kind of abuse U.S. companies throw at their trusty E-Series vans — and the kind of lived-in abuse a generation of jammin' bands threw at their Econolines.
Come 2013 we will see if the conservative American commercial market will go for these new-fangled vans (which can be ordered in either front- or rear-wheel-drive), but until then we can only watch Sabine Schmitz toss a Transit around the Nürburgring again and wait until we can get one of these on the Tail of the Dragon.