rickhamilton620
has a fetish for terrible cars
Autoblog said:The Detroit News reports that while Chrysler is only expected to offer one minivan going forward, the vehicle will carry two different names depending on where it's sold. The Dodge Grand Caravan is expected to carry on in Canada while American buyers are likely to continue to be able to buy the Chrysler Town and Country. Reid Brigland, the head of the Dodge brand, said that the Town and Country resonates better with American buyers.
As you may recall, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has said that the automaker will only offer one minivan by 2013. In addition, the next-generation Chrysler minivan will offer optional all-wheel drive and have a nine-speed automatic transmission. Buyers will also be able to chose between standard sliding doors and a people-mover configuration with traditional hinged entrances. Chrysler also plans to take the compact-van fight to the Ford C-Max with a smaller platform as well.
The Detroit News says that the next-generation Chrysler minivan will continue to be built in the automaker's Windsor, Ontario facility.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/26/...campaign=Feed:+weblogsinc/autoblog+(Autoblog)
I'm admittedly worried about this. The Caravan nameplate is one of the most recognizable in the country, but so is Town & Country to an extent. Most Caravan buyers don't seem to be the type who would consider a T&C: The T&C might seem too high-zoot for kid carrying duty.
I do feel like there's a potential to shoot themselves in the foot if they price the next T&C improperly: After the 2011 refresh, they decided to position the Caravan in the entry level to mid-range market, while the T&C was strictly high end, playing with loaded Sedona EX's, Ody Touring Elite's and Sienna Limited's.
The sliding door vs hinged situation is interesting, not only because it pretty much cements the notion that there will be a next gen Journey (if not in name, then definetly in spirit) but also because Chrysler/Fiat decided to go with both options instead of feeling the need to have to choose. GM and Ford initially chose sliding doors for their minivan replacements but switched to CUV like hinged doors for the Lambda's and Flex.
Compact Van fight = Doblo and it makes sense because reportedly the Ram division was considering bringing over a passenger version of it when the Doblo cargo variant comes in 2012.