Sure, lots of folks love their minivan. For the most part, minivans are versatile family mobiles that can shuttle the kids to soccer practice as easily as they can tow a boat to the lake during summer vacation. They come loaded with lots of goodies like an abundance of safety features, DVDs and satellite navigation.
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Cool – But Not Cool Enough
Despite their wealth of gadgets and useful nature, minivans have never been able to overcome the stigma of not being manly enough, by the majority of men. In fact, more and more women drivers have been turning away from the minivan in favor of a Sport Utility Vehicle that does not come with the stigma of being, well, just plain boring.
Sales Plummet
The minivan market hit more than 1.3 million units moved in 2000, but has fallen to fewer than 475,000 unites sold last year. That is almost a million fewer units sold in a decade. A decline the automotive industry is hoping to reverse. Toyota and Honda have both revamped their minivan line. Now U.S. auto makers are getting onboard the redesign train.
Spurring New Interest
Chrysler Group LLC is hoping their new Dodge Grand Caravan R/T will be enough of an enticement for men and women to stop the trend toward SUV’s and bring buyers back to the minivan.
The new Dodge Grand Caravan R/T is admittedly an experiment. It is an attempt by Chrysler engineers to marry a sports car and a van to create a “Man-Van.” The new Dodge Grand Caravan R/T will go on sale later this year. It is said to come with an upgrade in interior and a new, sportier engine. It will also come with a performance tuned suspension and a nine speaker sound system that will blow the doors off with a powerful 506-watt amplifier!
Ironically, the versatile nature of the minivan appeals most to male drivers who need a vehicle for all occasions. But they just cannot get beyond the stigma of “soccer moms in minivans.”
Pulling All The Stops
By improving the styling and adding jazzy features like an improved sound system, Chrysler believes it can get guys to take another look at the minivan.
So far, the idea seems to be popular with drivers. Male buyers have already started expressing interest in the new Chrysler Dodge Grand Caravan R/T.
Chrysler intend to play on every string it has when it comes to marketing the vehicle, including using the Judas Priest hit, “The Hellion” as its sound track on the commercial.
By this time next year Chrysler should know whether the gamble on attracting new male buyers to its minivan market worked. You might know a little sooner if your neighbor shows up with one at soccer practice.
