Chrysler believed to be working on 'man van'
A macho version of the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan may attract a new clientele, but it’s unlikely to shed the vehicle’s soccer mom image, say industry insiders.
“There’s still a big, strong market for the minivan, so whatever changes they’re going to make on the minivan, I don’t think it’s going to change people’s attitude,” said Leo Racicot, owner of Racicot Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Amherstburg, Ont. “The soccer mom is still going to buy the minivan.”
Racicot was responding to recent reports that Chrysler Group LLC is planning to make the minivan more masculine.
Quoting dealers who met with Chrysler executives in Detroit last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the “man van” — a special version of the Caravan — is expected to appear at dealerships and be available within the next few months.
The vehicle will feature a slightly sportier look on the outside, possibly finished off with a black-and-grey interior trimmed with hot-coloured stitching on the seats and steering wheel, the Journal said. It’s apparently part of Chrysler’s broader strategy to revive its current product line.
Daniel Labre, Chrysler Canada’s national product, marketing spokesman, declined to comment on the report. But he said the automaker was “always looking at all of our vehicles to see what else we could do.”
In Canada, married couples make up 84 per cent of minivan buyers, said Labre. Men constitute two-thirds of the primary driver of the vehicle, he added.
Reasons for purchasing a minivan are value, storage and cargo capacity, interior comfort and reliability, said Labre.
David Kelleher, secretary of the Chrysler National Dealer Council in the U.S., called the prospect of a man van a “bold idea.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me one bit because Ralph Gilles (head of Chrysler’s Dodge brand) loves that stuff,” said Kelleher. “He can take what might be a two- or three-year-old model and invigorate it into something unique.”
Kelleher, who attended the Detroit meeting, said he was not aware of any discussion about a man van, but said it could create buzz for the vehicle.
“It’s a low-risk idea with a lot of potential,” he said. “It doesn’t cost them a great deal since you’re not talking about any major structural changes. You’re talking about a minor body change that could hit a market segment.”
Although Chrysler dominates the minivan market, the segment has been shrinking, with U.S. sales hitting 424,000 last year — down more than 50 per cent from 2005.
Recently, however, sales in Canada have been on a tear, with minivan sales more than tripling last month compared to the same period in 2009.
The man van reportedly would borrow heavily from the Grand Caravan R/T, a prototype Chrysler displayed at the 2008 Detroit auto show.
In photos from the auto show, the prototype appears as a hot reddish-orange vehicle with a scoop in the hood finished off with an air vent over the engine, according to the Wall Street Journal. Inside, black-leather seats were trimmed in hot-red stitching.
Erich Merkle, an auto industry analyst based in Grand Rapids, Mich., said a man van would do little to shake off the soccer mom stigma.
“I don’t know what macho looks like on a minivan,” said Merkle. “I have to trust Ralph Gilles —— he’s a good designer. At the end of the day you’re still working with a minivan, which offers the ultimate in utility. You’re still trying to design around a box.”
http://www.montrealgazette.com/
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