By Richard Williamson, Scripps Howard News Service
12/6/2003
It’s always amusing to look back at cars that were once considered "revolutionary" and realize how outdated they look in hindsight.
The "car that saved Ford," the 1986 Taurus, was so aerodynamic that corporate executives were terribly afraid that they had gone too far out on a design limb.
Look at that original Taurus today and you probably see nothing more than a very conservative mid-size sedan. Automotive design has taken many daring leaps since then.
It’s quite possible that the designers of the original Taurus might not have attempted such a bold stroke had they not been goaded into action by their rivals at Chrysler. Just two years before the Taurus arrived, the desperados at Chrysler introduced a vehicle that not only saved the company, but perhaps the American auto industry itself.
We’re talking here about the advent of the minivan, a vehicle that Lee Iacocca tried to convince Ford Motor Co. to build before he was fired by Henry Ford II. Later hired to save the nearly bankrupt Chrysler Corp., Iacocca immediately put the minivan near the top of his agenda, right behind a federal loan guarantee.
While Chrysler was in terrible shape, none of the Big Three was having much success against Japanese brands whose quality and value made Chevies, Fords and Chryslers seem virtually obsolete. As the Japanese began devouring market share, they were also rewriting the rulebook for how to manufacture quality products of any kind.
Then came the 1984 Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager. The first minivans were so amazingly clever, versatile and attractive that childbearing Baby Boomers simply couldn’t wait to get to the showroom. The sliding side door, the rear liftgate, the versatile interior and easy maneuverability gave owners the usefulness of a van and the comfort of a car. Hence, the rather brilliant marketing moniker "Cvan."
"Full-size vans wouldn’t fit into a standard garage, so we knew that we had to make our new van garageable," said Chrysler Group Vice President Mike Donoughe. "In addition to garageability, we knew we had to design the minivan from the inside out. A focus on clever interior packaging and thoughtful interior features was important in developing this new segment."
Other ingredients in what came to be called the "magic wagon" formula included front-wheel drive so that designers could ensure a low, flat floor for easy entry and exit, space for chair-high seating and room for a 4-by-8-foot piece of plywood between the wheel wells.
While the original minivan turned heads in 1984, today, it looks rather boxy compared to the curvaceous 2003 models. In fact, the first minivan looks a lot like today’s sport utility vehicles.
In the early years of the minivan, competitors struggled to catch up to Chrysler with surprisingly bad results. Ford introduced a rear-drive Aerostar that never really matched the evolving Caravan/Voyager/Town & Country triumvirate. And General Motors got completely lost in space with its overly futuristic, utility-impaired models that earned the disparaging epithet "Dustbusters" because of their physical resemblance to a hand-held vacuum cleaner of the same name.
While Chrysler survived on the strength of the minivan and a series of other dazzling models, the company is no longer a wholly American company.
Now part of the Daimler-Chrysler conglomerate, the American component is facing new struggles under the complex international operating structure.
The Plymouth nameplate has disappeared entirely, leaving only the Caravan and Town & Country minivans in the Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep fleet.
Ten million minivan sales later, Daimler-Chrysler still maintains its sales lead, but the category is rapidly losing ground to sport utility vehicles. Currently, industry-wide minivan sales account for approximately 7 percent, or one out of every 15 new vehicles sold in the United States.
To mark the 20th anniversary, Chrysler will offer a limited edition Chrysler Town & Country Platinum Series, based on the Chrysler Town & Country Touring model. The special model has 16-inch chrome-clad platinum finish wheels, two-tone leather seating, Rear Seat Video entertainment system, six-disc CD/DVD changer, rear cargo organizer, chrome interior door handles, embroidered platinum floor mats, body-color cladding, and Platinum Series badging as standard equipment.
"Today, it’s not only about garageability and interior space," said Donoughe. "You have to have outstanding design, innovation and excellent reliability in order to keep minivan fans coming back for more. Minivan after minivan, the Chrysler Group has done that. That’s why, even 20 years after inventing the segment, we continue to attract approximately 38 percent of the people who buy minivans, the highest market share in the industry." MINIVAN MILESTONES
1983-84 — Chrysler Corp. introduces the first minivan at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. First 1984 models include Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan and Dodge Caravan C/V.
1987-1988 — One millionth minivan sold. Long-wheelbase Grand Voyager and Grand Caravan introduced. First V6 engine offered.
1990 — Chrysler Town & Country is the first luxury minivan.
1991 — Second generation introduces front air bag, all-wheel drive, child-proof sliding door locks. Sales hit 2 million.
1993-1994 — Chrysler first to offer passenger-side air bags as sales hit 4 million.
1995-1996 — Third generation offers driver-side sliding door. Dodge Caravan earns Motor Trend’s "Car of the Year" award, a first for the minivan category.
2001 — Fourth generation for 2001 model year introduces new features such as power liftgate, rear roll-out seats.
2003 — Ten millionth minivan sold as 20th anniversary approaches.
