Chrysler Minivans Here To Stay, But Direction Remains Unclear
With a lock on at least 40 percent of the minivan market, Chrysler isn’t going to be exiting the minivan market anytime soon – but they do have to decide on what direction they’ll take the next-generation minivan. The company still hasn’t decided on whether to kill off the Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan – or if they should keep both.
The Town & Country has a higher average transaction price than the Grand Caravan, and many have suggested that the Chrysler van would be the sole remaining entrant in the lineup. But the Grand Caravan’s runaway success (where it ranks among the best selling vehicles) in Canada has given executives some reservations about keeping one model only.
Either way, Dodge will have a new crossover to replace the Grand Caravan and Avenger, featuring traditional doors. Any future Dodge minivan would have sliding doors, as expected in the segment. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told Automotive News that the Chrysler 700C concept minivan would provide a hint at the direction of future minivans, but that some unpopular styling elements would not make it into production.
More by Derek Kreindler
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I'd suggest following the Ford Europe's direction where they brought out the Galaxy (2nd generation) as the (MPV) minivan and the S-Max for a sportier model - both on the same platform, both seat 7 but very different vehicles.
The only part of the minivan market Chrysler has a lock on is the rental market. These vans are so inferior to the Honda/Toyota's that they should have their own category. The hard plastic, ugly design and generic styling does mask a decent drivetrain. But add in the uninhabitable stow and go seats, really try sitting in them for a few minutes-undersized and really hard, and the miserable dealer experience in my part of the world and Chrysler should just ship them all to Hertz. My '96 T&C was a thing of beauty inside and out, and I loved it for 173k miles despite being miserably expensive to own. Bring back Lutz and Sperlich (yeah right) and they would have a chance. OK Rant over, moving on.
Just make them look different from each other and for the love of god, fix that D pillar. Even the Routan one looks better and that's embarrassing.
I've been thinking about the "man's minivan" a bit lately. Everyone seems to assume that turning a minivan into a sports car or a muscle is the "mans minivan". That's fine, if you're in to that... But a Grand Caravan RT doesn't do much for me. But there's another way to make the "man's minivan". Most minivans are too plushy by half. Another direction to go is to make a practical kid-friendly commercial utility van. Think about a Nissan NV200 or a Transit Connect (low-roof version) with a good crash ratings, folding seats, and with LATCH+top-tethers clearly marked. But it's still a vehicle that you could clean out with a hose when your kid throws up in the back seat, or after you haul a load of compost home. Also, it needs to be able to haul sheet goods back from the hardware store. The Town & Country, Odyssey, and Sienna are just too civilized by half for this kind of thing -- and for me. But, for now, I'll make it work with a civilized car and a utility trailer. I looked at a Transit Connect before I bought my Escape, and fell in love with it -- but the Transit Connect only has a 6' load floor (rather than the 8' floor that I was looking for), and a used Escape and the a trailer was a much cheaper and more kid-friendly replacement for my old Ranger.