A macho, macho 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 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 report 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 drivers of the vehicle, he added. Reasons for purchasing a minivan are value, storage and cargo capacity, interior comfort and reliability, he said.
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.”
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 from the prototype Grand Caravan R/T.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
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