ford e chassis end date
Just to be curious , when is the end date for the e series chassis that is used for most class c and what are the m h c ompanies going to use when ford stops making them?
Forum Discussion
GM is also continuing in this market, currently dominating the 11,000-14,000 pound class in cab-chassis and van cutaway because of the available diesel engine, and unlikely to leave that market any time soon. The cutaway market is about 90,000 units a year, most of them not RVs. Almost half of the market is Class 4, 14,000+ GVWR, and the unibody van solutions from Daimler, Fiat and Ford do not cover that segment.
I suspect the class C RV will evolve toward European types that fit within the limits of the more economical European style chassis now being adapted to our market. But even if all C RVs went small, most of the heavy cutaway market will still be there. While the emergency vehicle segment can reasonably go to conventional cab class 4 trucks for most locations, with the bonus of readily available 4x4, the airport/hotel/small passenger bus segment really likes the compactness of the van cab.
For the market to go away the 16-30 passenger buses built on the cutaway need to be replaced by another center-aisle solution: enlarged vans like the Sprinter Minibus, or a true minibus like the Toyota Coaster. Both of these are built at about 11,000 pounds, a ton and a half lighter than the coaches we currently use in this size class.
Looking over the past five years wholesale shipments, Class C RVs have been running 8,000 to 15,000 units a year, picking up to that latter figure just recently. So RVs are about 1/10 to 1/6 of the market for van cutaways in the U.S.
I suspect the class C RV will evolve toward European types that fit within the limits of the more economical European style chassis now being adapted to our market. But even if all C RVs went small, most of the heavy cutaway market will still be there. While the emergency vehicle segment can reasonably go to conventional cab class 4 trucks for most locations, with the bonus of readily available 4x4, the airport/hotel/small passenger bus segment really likes the compactness of the van cab.
For the market to go away the 16-30 passenger buses built on the cutaway need to be replaced by another center-aisle solution: enlarged vans like the Sprinter Minibus, or a true minibus like the Toyota Coaster. Both of these are built at about 11,000 pounds, a ton and a half lighter than the coaches we currently use in this size class.
Looking over the past five years wholesale shipments, Class C RVs have been running 8,000 to 15,000 units a year, picking up to that latter figure just recently. So RVs are about 1/10 to 1/6 of the market for van cutaways in the U.S.
