Have you noticed that there are fewer minivan models for shoppers to pick from today?
It's true. In fact, only nine minivan models are in production now for American buyers-the fewest minivan nameplates in the country since the 1992 model year. By the end of 2008, the minivan count will be down to eight-the lowest since the 1980s.
Blame the decline on consumers-maybe you're one of them-who wince at the mention of owning and driving what unfortunately became known as the "mom mobile" or the "vehicle of choice for soccer moms."
And blame the minivan's fate on car companies that have steadily chipped away at the minivan's appeal as an affordable, garageable family vehicle with easy entry and enough rows of seats-standard three rows these days-that the family could spread out in comfort.
The truth is that buyers now can find three rows of seats, flexible cargo room and other minivan features in many vehicles, including sport-utility vehicles, so-called crossover SUVs and tall wagons.
Who cares if many of these trendier vehicles are priced higher than minivans? It seems that it's more important for many buyers to have the right image.
Unsuccessful at Dodging the Image
It was evident after about a decade that women's embrace of the minivan as the eminently practical, easy-to-drive, family vehicle was a potential image problem.
This is, after all, the auto industry, where an oft-believed marketing saying is: You can sell a man's car to women, but you can't sell a woman's car to men.
Yet, many auto marketers knew that a woman was often behind the steering wheel of the family minivan, even if her name wasn't on the vehicle title. Many weren't real eager to talk about it.
Indeed, at one press event I attended, an official at Chrysler Corp. danced all around my questions about women buying and driving minivans, even though Chrysler, the minivan sales leader since the beginning, had lots of research about its buyers.
And later at an auto show in Detroit, Honda showed a concept minivan designed for use as a mobile office for executives. Honda officials said they hoped it could broaden the minivan market beyond the family-focused crowd. But with no sizable market potential for an office-on-wheels minivan, Honda never put the concept into production.
Every Generation Wants Something Different
Alas, even women grew tired of minivans as practical but unglamorous. Anthony Prozzi, designer at Ford Motor Co. who doesn't say "minivan" anymore, just "the m word," said recent Ford customer clinics show women long for something more stylish and fresh. (Ford, by the way, stopped producing its Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey in November 2006 and no longer builds minivans for U.S. consumers.)
There's also the issue of the minivan as the family vehicle for a specific generation-Baby Boomers. Introduced by Chrysler, the minivan came along as Baby Boomers were in their prime child-rearing years and provided a perfect alternative to what their parents used as the quintessential family car-the station wagon.
Every generation has its own tastes, and so now, with Baby Boomers mostly beyond child rearing, younger-generation families are eschewing their parents' minivans and seeking their own family vehicle.
First, it was SUVs with truck-based platforms. Now, families are being lured by crossovers like the Saturn Outlook that combine a car-like ride and platform with SUV styling. There also is a new crop of tall wagons, like the Kia Rondo, that have three rows of seats. The crossovers and tall wagons appeal because they often provide a bit better fuel mileage than the traditional SUVs.
Minivans' Place in History
So, perhaps it's natural that minivans would begin to fade after a decent run.
But not before being named in the 1990s the fourth most influential vehicle of all time, behind the Ford Model T, Volkswagen Beetle and Ford F-Series pickup truck by automotive historian David L. Lewis of the University of Michigan.
Minivan sales in the U.S. peaked at 1.37 million in calendar 2000, which is 17 years after the first minivan rolled off an assembly line at a Chrysler factory in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, under the proud gaze of then-Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca.
Auto industry buffs may recall that Chrysler officials only went ahead with the minivans after the federal government OK'd federal loan guarantees of $1.5 billion to help keep the company afloat. The success of the minivans was key to Chrysler repaying the loan and becoming profitable again.
It took years for Ford and General Motors Corp. to sell competitive minivans, and major Japanese carmakers stumbled by introducing too-small vans in the U.S. that didn't appeal to most American buyers. (Remember the Nissan Axxess?)
But by calendar 2006, minivan sales plunged below 1 million for the first time since 1993. When sales of minivans to fleet owners, such as rental car companies and taxicab firms, are subtracted from the 2006 total, consumer purchases of minivans last year were even worse.
According to an analysis by industry journal Automotive News, 65 percent of Ford Freestar minivan sales in the first 10 months of 2006 went to company fleets like rental car lots and taxicab firms. Sixty-two percent of Chevrolet Uplander minivans went into fleets, too.
Who's Still Selling Minivans?
As recently as 2002, car companies weren't talking about abandoning the minivan segment, though they did admit sales were projected to "level off" as Baby Boomers became empty nesters.
But in the last few years, two of the top three U.S.-based carmakers re-evaluated their positions and have been eliminating minivans so they can focus on crossovers, which hold the potential for better profit margins.
Ford officials, for example, have high hopes that their Ford Edge and the coming Ford Flex crossovers will draw new families. Note that even with a sizable number of sales to fleet customers, last year's sales of the Ford Freestar minivan fell 35 percent from the year before. And sales of the Mercury Monterey minivan weren't even half those of the Freestar.
GM, which has sold minivans under the Buick, Saturn and Chevrolet brands, stopped production of the Buick Terraza and Saturn Relay during the 2007 model year while readying new Buick and Saturn crossovers.
Chevrolet will keep its Uplander minivan into the third quarter of 2008 when a new vehicle-hint: a crossover-will be expected in showrooms.
Intriguingly, Chrysler officials are not only sticking with minivans, they're updating them for 2008 with new features that include a table and seats that can face each other in back as sort of a conversation area.
The company's two minivans-Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan-racked up sales of more than 370,000 in 2006, though Automotive News reported that 42 percent of Caravan/Grand Caravan sales in the first 10 months of 2006 went to fleet customers.
Other auto brands with minivans are Honda (Odyssey), Toyota (Sienna), Nissan (Quest), Hyundai (Entourage), Kia (Sedona) and Mazda (Mazda5).
The 2007 minivan with the lowest starting manufacturer's suggested retail price is the Dodge Caravan, which starts at $19,055. Note, though, that Dodge is eliminating the short-wheelbase Caravan in the 2008 model year, while retaining the more popular, long-wheelbase Grand Caravan.
Honda, Toyota and Kia minivans were the only ones whose 2006 sales grew over 2005 levels. Last year also was the first year for Hyundai's Entourage, which is a version of the Kia Sedona minivan. Kia and Hyundai are owned by the same parent company.
Interest Remains
Officials at the companies remaining in the minivan segment say they're committed to staying in.
Toyota officials said they're getting more empty nesters in the Sienna because they're Baby Boomers who enjoyed minivans with their kids and continue to appreciate minivan attributes.
Retirees are another buyer group. They like the easy in and out of minivans and don't fret so much about image.
Budget-conscious shoppers also can find minivans to be good buys. The starting MSRP on a 2007 Hyundai Entourage is $23,895 and compares with $26,305 for the only other Hyundai that has three standard rows of seats-the Veracruz crossover.
Likewise, Saturn replaced its Relay minivan, which started at $21,570, with the 2007 Outlook crossover, which starts at $27,255.
And there are more developments. Chrysler officials have discussed whether to put a diesel engine into a minivan in 2010, which might boost interest among drivers wanting better fuel economy.
Brad Bradshaw, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan North America, was bullish on minivans, noting that Nissan's Quest could even gain market share as competitors drop out.
And Honda is readying a new-generation Odyssey that promises a breakthrough or two.
Just don't expect much change in the overall minivan image.
Current Minivans*
Chevrolet Uplander
Chrysler Town & Country
Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona
Mazda Mazda5
Nissan Quest
Toyota Sienna
*Still being produced.
Minivans That Ended Production in Past Year
Buick Terraza
Ford Freestar
Mercury Monterey
Saturn Relay
Ann Job is a freelance automotive writer.
