I was seven when, in 1984, a friend’s mother showed up at school one morning in her brand new 1984 Plymouth Voyager. Color burgundy, inside and out, with velvet seats and black lacquered window surrounds. I was already a car enthusiast at that age and I remember being very impressed by this futuristic one Cool, while my father drove a vulgar Hyundai pony, but it was also brand new.
I even remember the face of Patrick (the owner’s son) who proudly stepped out of the van as the door slid open like he was the star of the school.
At the time, that was the perception people had of this new type of vehicle that would literally change the automotive landscape of the 1980s. Of course, these Canadian-made vans would proliferate at breakneck speed on the road network and in residential neighborhoods, while Chevrolet and Ford shortly thereafter responded again with vans (Astro and Aerostar), which borrowed their structure from compact pickups.
A significant difference compared to Chrysler’s front-wheel drive products, which used a unibody platform.
The benefits of this less energy consuming, more compact vehicle that could be parked in the home’s garage were touted at a time when the latter were much less spacious than today’s. Chrysler has also innovated over the years by introducing new technologies to stay ahead of the competition that has been trying to outperform them for more than 30 years.
Think of the launch of an elongated model (Grand Caravan/Voyager), the arrival of a second sliding door on the driver’s side, the Stow N’Go seats that fold into the floor, or the offering of 4WD versions.
For decades, Chrysler minivans have won families over because of their versatility, but also because dads and moms loved to drive them and be seen behind the wheel. However, the tide turned in the early 2000s when SUVs hit the market en masse. Though less practical and often more expensive, the latter silently condemned several vans to death, including those from Ford and GM, which stretched the sauce for a long time.
Despite this waning interest, Chrysler proved in 2008 that the minivan still had a place, introducing a new generation of the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country that would once again be a resounding success.
Built through February 2020, the Dodge Grand Caravan lasted more than twelve years without a redesign and was a practical and affordable mode of transport for North American families until its demise. It also continued its career alongside that of the Chrysler Pacifica, introduced in 2016.
A new generation van, sold much more expensive this time, aimed at changing the negative image of the family van. It has to be said that in the mid-2010s, few moms wanted to drive a van, regardless of the brand. We only wanted SUVs, although they could never offer the same level of versatility.
In November 2023, Chrysler will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its minivan. The one that has been the pride of workers at the Windsor plant in Ontario from day one. However, this 40th anniversary will likely be the last we will be celebrating as it seems obvious that this van’s days are now numbered.
With a price crossing the psychological $50,000 threshold (when we were sold a Grand Caravan for less than $30,000 in 2020), the Pacifica, which has been on sale since 2016, is now at the end of its life. And it’s clear that Stellantis has no plans to overhaul the model, instead focusing on electrification and more lucrative models, notably Jeep and Ram.
What fate awaits the Ontario plant in Windsor? For now, rumors are pointing to a switch to electrification, perhaps manufacturing the future Chrysler Airflow. Certainly there is no new van in sight. This would mean leaving the field open for Honda, Kia and Toyota, the only three other brands that would launch family vans – in 2023.
Finally, you should know that in 2022, barely 22,000 vans will have found buyers in the country. Of these, about 50% were Chrysler. We may even marvel at the survival of the segment, which nonetheless remains relevant even though buyers are becoming rarer.