Happy belated birthday to the Chrysler minivan.
On November 2nd, 1983, the chariot of the traveling family was born. Chrysler at this point (in a weird way of history repeating itself) was teetering on dire financial straits. They took a gamble and saw an unrealized market.
As Gizmodo points out, that market was the family. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, there really wasn’t any vehicles that were great for big families to travel in. Recent oil crises have dealt a heavy blow to the gas hog station wagons and sedans. And full sized-vans were more designed to be more similar to trucks and not like a normal car.
“What was missing from the market was a family vehicle that drove like a car, got good fuel economy, and had room enough for a family. Chrysler’s minivan was the first vehicle designed from the ground up to fit that need, and it was a revelation.”
The article continues to point out that the minivans that Chrysler produced, the Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Caravan, have continued to see their initial contributions in use today. While the visual designed has changed drastically from the 80’s, the core features are still there.
An interesting fact of note is how hard the competitors tried to get a grasp of Chrysler’s new-found success. Even in 2008, with Chrysler back on the verge of collapse, the auto company still had 41 percent of the minivan market.
What impacted the minivan the most was the introduction of the SUV class in the 90’s. As writer Robert Sorokanich points out, however, is that the SUV is still entirely similar in design and purpose to the minivan, even if it took some time for the cars to come around. The SUV’s were given more favor thanks to cheaper gas prices in the 90’s and the more rugged and less “manly” feel of the minivan. Yet, as the years have gone on, it’s clear to see that the SUV is simply the newest evolution of what Chrysler stated with the first Town & Country.
Happy 30 years Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. Thanks for all the memories of going to visit relatives while in the back seat.
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