Chrysler Mocks Up Possible Town and Country Replacement
In a group interview yesterday at the Detroit auto show, Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said that a Chrysler 700c on the show floor represents a design study of what the next-generation Chrysler Town & Country minivan might look like.
More 2012 Detroit Auto Show Coverage
A year ago, Marchionne said there was no point in having two minivans that were essentially the same — the Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan — competing against each other. From the looks of the 700c, Chrysler's "van" would be slightly smaller on the inside, but with big improvements to the interior quality.
Marchionne acknowledged that minivans aren't going to storm back into popularity anytime soon: "It's a defined market," he said. "It's not going to grow by leaps and bounds."
He conceded that quality ratings for the current minivans have dropped over the past few years, but he said the automaker "has done a lot of work" that “needs to put us back in the box" for minivan shoppers.
A new minivan could come as early as the end of 2013 after going through consumer clinics in late spring of next year, Marchionne said, adding, "We need to get there a lot faster than we thought we had to."
Clicking on any image below will launch a larger photo gallery; you can browse through them by hitting the right and left arrow keys.
Previous
Subscribe to our feed
Email us your tips!
Wow. Just when you thought the zenith of minivan fugly had been reached with the Honda Odyssey...
Hottt...Build it now
Besides the odd windows, this looks good, The minivan segment needs a shakeup, but the Odyssey is just UGLY and lacks style. This is interesting to look at.
This is really nice. Or more: it may Lancia/Chrysler give back the fame of making individual and luxury cars.
Don't change anything and bring it to the roads !
I like it but will it have stow and go seats? I have to have the fold in the floor seats to transport my large dogs but would like to drive something more stylish.
Yes, you must keep the stow and go seats. This is one of the most important part of any Chrysler Minivan. This Van looks smaller. There is room for both size vans! I also can't wait for the ZF 9 speed and the Hybrid
Cross breed the new Hyundai Elantra and the previous Nissan Quest and here you go.
I appreciate the effort, but from the side view, the look is completely disjointed. I think if they tone that down, the overall look could be a real breakthrough in the minivan segment.
T&C used to be the only car made that you could fold the seats down and put several 4x8 sheets of plywood on the floor and close all the doors. If they loose these features - I'm done with them.