All About Japan Autos

The minivan doesn’t get much respect. It’s known best as “a mom van” or a “grocery getter.” Automakers have tried to turn the “mom van” into a “man van,” but their attempts haven’t been successful thanks competition from the more attractive, better-performing crossover SUVs.

However, Chrysler is still trying to beat stereotypes and keep the minivan rolling. “Chrysler will move forward with just one full-size minivan while creating a second ‘people mover’ to appeal to shoppers who wouldn’t typically invest in a full-size minivan,” says Kicking Tires. To do this, Chrysler will merge the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town and Country. Essentially, Chrysler will make a better minivan and give consumers one great option, rather than force them to choose between two models that are very similar.

Kicking Tires reports that Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler CEO, says “If you’re a minivan fan, it’s time to get excited… You’re going to see some significant work being done on the Dodge brand to try and take some stigma away from the minivan,” adding, “I think we can do some real cool things with the minivan.”

Chrysler isn’t the only one betting on vans. With the Volt on the market, Chevrolet feels confident that expanding the Volt family will prove successful. Their first step? Adding a minivan. “General Motors plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid minivan based on the Chevrolet Volt by 2012-’13, according to CEO Dan Akerson,” says Inside Line.

Autoblog adds, “While many of the early prognostications pointed to a Voltec-powered Cadillac, a report from AutoWeek says GM CEO Dan Akerson is suggesting a minivan may come first. There’s also some talk that an unknown hatchback is in the works (yes, the Volt is indeed a hatchback that’s shaped to look more like a sedan, but whatever).”

Based on the photo on Inside Line’s website, this minivan won’t look like the models we’re familiar with from Toyota and Honda because it’s built like a crossover. We’ll keep you posted as more information emerges.

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