![]() ![]() As North America’s first front-wheel drive minivans, the T-115, as it was known internally during development, offered a trifecta of space efficiency, fuel efficiency, and affordability that fullsize vans, wagons, and SUVs could not match. Released in 1983 as 1984 models, the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan created an entirely new segment in the industry that has had lasting influence, even if the minivan’s popularity and general desirability has declined from its zenith at 1.4 million units in 2001. Somewhat ironically, it is now just sold as the newly reincarnated Chrysler Pacifica, a name last applied to Chrysler’s crossover.Ĭhrysler’s commitment to the minivan comes as little surprise however, as after all Chrysler created the very first minivan, and crossovers owe a great deal of their very existence to the minivan. The story of the Chrysler minivans’ development, which largely encompasses the modern minivan’s creation as a class of vehicle, is widely known due to its significance, and has been told in great detail here before by Paul. ![]() In fact, Chrysler put in a rather significant amount of investment into its newly-introduced sixth generation minivan to confidently reclaim its status as the industry benchmark. that does not sell a crossover while still offering a minivan. While most brands have in fact stopped producing minivans altogether in favor of one or several crossovers, it should be noted that Chrysler is the only mainstream brand in the U.S. While decidedly not an enthusiast vehicle, apart from the fact that some modern minivans such as the Honda Odyssey look more “minibus”-like, I truthfully see the minivan in no worse a light than I do mainstream CUVs/SUVs, which is not the case for most - just look at crossover sales versus minivan sales in the U.S. Despite being among the most versatile and space efficient people movers, minivans tend to make both men and women, old and young alike cringe at the very mention of them, for reasons I personally can’t fully understand. ![]() In today’s day and age, minivans are not frequently looked upon in a positive light. ![]()
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