Ford Motor Co. will continue producing the cutaway and stripped chassis version of its E-Series van, after discontinuing the van and wagon models after the 2014 model year.

Ford will continue to produce the cutaway and stripped chassi "through the decade," said Anthony Piazza, Ford's assistant brand manager for the E-Series and Transit.

In June, Ford will begin rolling out its 2015 Ford Transit full-size van that will replace the E-Series van and wagon in the U.S. market. The Transit comes in three roof heights, three body lengths, and two wheelbases.

Ford produced five generations of the iconic E-Series van for more than 50 years, after first introducing it as the Econoline compact van in 1961. Beginning in 1980, the E-Series was the best-selling full-size van and held a dominant market share for many of its model years.

Facing increased competition in recent years from the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, as well as the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, Ford moved to replace the E-Series for the 2015 model year with the Transit, a global vehicle first introduced in Europe in 1965.