With the E-series going away, what for future Cs?

tatest wrote:
don't see the market for US-style C's, 24 to 30+ feet and 14,000+ GVWRs,

I would disagree with that. We have now 26ft NORMAL C's based on Euro based Cab Chassis. As well 31ft Class C's based on light Japanese Trucks. Class C's are restricted to roughly 30-31ft here(Caravan park camping) as far as GVWR/GCVWR the sky is the limit for the base donor vehicles are numerous.(i.e 20,000lb towing)

FWD and small engines work in Europe because the motorhomes on those chassis aren't any heavier, and not much taller or wider, than our full-size SUVs. About 30% larger than our minivans.

Neither is that the case. Depends on who builds them. The maximum GVWR of a Ducato is 11,000lb. The IVECO Daily powered Concorde Liner has a GVWR of 15,000lb a Payload of 3000lb and a towing capacity of a 5000lb with a Automatic.

carringb wrote:
Ducato/Pormaster is FWD. Not way would you be able to pull a 30'+ coach up any sort of a grade without madly spinning the tires.

mlts22 wrote:
1: The Transit chassis. Decent in Europe, but I don't know if it has the ability to handle a 31 foot C's weight. At least the EcoBoost V6 does come close to the V10's torque output, but horsepower may need some help.

2: The Dodge ProMaster (i.e. the Fiat Ducato.) Most European Cs are on this chassis. However, few in the US would buy a manual-only diesel, and a small V6 is just not going to do the job of a V10 unless some form of enhanced aspiration (turbocharger, supercharger) is used.

The Transit No the best is about 26ft Maximum. The Ecoboost under load would drink like a fish, fine for producing the power in a short duty cycle Pickup, not a Motorhome. I think the F450/F550 will become your larger C bases(No indication they are getting rid of them, Gas engines could become diesel only in the future)

The Promaster or Ducato has a Automated Manual Transmission or AMT . This acts like an Automatic with default clutchless manual changes. Has a tow/haul and hill descent modes. The Promaster is limited too roughly 27ft with parallel duallys and a 11,000lb GVWR.

Not that the E-series is being phased out, but if it were, the T-series could be manufactured in any size needed.

Just as with the unibody Sprinter, to make a cab-chassis from a Transit, it is necessary to build a frame and mount the cab of the unibody truck on that frame. Size and capacity of the resulting chassis is simply a marketing decision.

I don't see the market for US-style C's, 24 to 30+ feet and 14,000+ GVWRs, lasting much longer, if anyone here starts producing Euro-style motorhomes, under 7000 pounds at seven meters length, capable of 20-30 MPG. That could take a while to happen, we are historically slow to accept smaller anything. Winnebago has made at least four tries at the smaller motorhome concept, producing something similar in size and equipment to contemporary European RVs, and they've been not well accepted here.

The ProMaster will be the first chassis offering suitable to this type of motorhome, but the one we are getting can be about 50% 'bigger' than a global market Ducato, Master, or front-drive Transit. Not even Ford thinks we are ready for the 3500 KG van.

So to begin with, I suspect the first ProMaster Cs will be about as big as they can be on the highest GVWR ProMaster chassis offered. First models will likely use our current house construction techniques, and include heavy features like slideout rooms, gensets, air conditioners and wastewater tanks, because that's what we are buying.

FWD and small engines work in Europe because the motorhomes on those chassis aren't any heavier, and not much taller or wider, than our full-size SUVs. About 30% larger than our minivans.

I am starting to see C's on the F chassis (pick-up). Thor has the F-550 Super C with the diesel. I am thinking Ford will continue to dominate the market with the cut-a-way for RV and box trucks. As long as there is a demand they will continue to produce until a better design comes along. I can't see them dropping the line without having a replacement.

E-series cutaway has been committed through at least 2019 with the vans through at least 2015.

Express Chassis can't go past a 209" wheelbase because the frame is smaller. So sticking a longer body it makes for bad weight weight balance. You can pretty much see the 30' cutoff on the Express from all the big RV makers. Plus, GM has never even hinted at a long-term forecast for the Express. THey've cancelled truck lines before with only a couple months notice.

Ducato/Pormaster is FWD. Not way would you be able to pull a 30'+ coach up any sort of a grade without madly spinning the tires.

A while back I rear one article stating Ford will stick the Transit cab on the F53 chassis for a larger cab/chassis (i.e. T550). But I haven't seen anything lately so maybe that has been put on hold. Ford is maxed on F53 production anyways because RVs made a HUGE jump in sales this year (and there is no longer Workhorse to compete with).

Transit pretty much matches the Sprinter axle and GVWR capacities, so I think you'll see see it taking some of the Sprinter market, but nothing bigger. It's main advantage will probably towing capacity (assuming they maintain the F150 ratings), and lower cost.

Ford has announced no plans to cancel the E series chassis cab, sounds solid out to at least 2015.

I have already seen a Class C on a Transit chassis.

I haven't heard any definite cutoff date for the Econoline cutaway-it could be years. My thought is when it does go away, the time will probably be right. As fuel prices rise sooner or later there won't be much market for a 10 mpg class C. There will be more economical alternatives on these other chassis. Probably the larger sizes of C market will gravitate to the gas class A on the F53. Some of these are currently being produced at prices not much higher than a C.