Chrysler minivans


The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler. In production since the 1984 model year, Chrysler has produced six distinct generations of minivans; at various stages of their production, Chrysler minivans have been marketed worldwide, primarily in North America and Europe.
Initially introduced as the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, the Chrysler minivans have been marketed under a variety of nameplates under Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, and Ram brands; through the use of rebadging, Chrysler minivans have also been marketed under the Lancia and Volkswagen brands.
The Chrysler minivans are the highest-selling example of the segment, with over 12 million produced up to 2008 and a grand total of 15 million reached in 2019.
The introduction of the Chrysler minivans popularized the use of the body style by automakers in the United States and Canada, leading to competitors such as the Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari, Ford Aerostar, Toyota Previa, and Mazda MPV. During the 1990s, the popularity of the Chrysler minivans led to the form factor becoming closely followed by many competitors, leading to the Ford Windstar/Freestar, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Kia Sedona, and Nissan Quest.
Since their 1984 introduction, Chrysler has manufactured minivans at Windsor Assembly, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada; from 1987 to 2007, Saint Louis Assembly in Fenton, Missouri added additional manufacturing in North America. For the European market, exports were largely supplemented by the Eurostar joint-venture factory in Graz, Austria from 1992 to 2002.

First generation (1984–1990)

The S platform was not a modified variant of the Chrysler K platform, although the engines and transmissions used the K-car running gear. The van was a unique platform designed for the vehicle, and was used for the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and Plymouth Voyager. Chrysler manufactured the Generation I minivans, internally codenamed T-115 during development from October 1983 until 1990.
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Developed from 1985 to 1989, Generation II was introduced in 1990 and called AS. Design specifications were chosen in 1987 and were evolutionary. This was the last K-based version of the S platform, as the NS platform switched to a new cab forward design.
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The ES platform is the European counterpart to the North American AS platform.
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Generation III of the platform was developed from early 1990 to December 26, 1994, being introduced on January 4, 1995, and called NS. Its cab forward design was defined by September 23, 1991, and inspired by the 1992 Chrysler EPIC concept minivan, designed in-house by Julie Dolan in mid-1991. Final exterior designs were development program approved in May 1992 and frozen for scheduled late 1994 production that same month. The first NS prototypes were built in November 1992 and presented on November 24, 1992, to Chrysler executive management. The 1992 "Reinventing Chrysler" documentary, provided footage of the NS design process in the spring of 1992.
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The Chrysler GS platform is the global export counterpart to the North American Chrysler NS platform.
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Generation IV of the platform was introduced on January 10, 2000, and was called RS.
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The CS is a variant of the RS platform made specifically for the Chrysler Pacifica crossover SUV.
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The Chrysler RG platform is the global export counterpart to the North American Chrysler RS platform.
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The fifth-generation Chrysler minivans were introduced at the 2007 North American International Auto Show for the 2008 model year, marking the debut of the RT platform. In a major change, the short-wheelbase configuration was dropped, alongside the Chrysler Town & Country, all Dodge minivans were now Grand Caravans. The export-market Chrysler Grand Voyager made its return; following the acquisition of Chrysler by Fiat, the model line was also marketed as a Lancia Voyager outside North America.
The first Chrysler minivans to be powered exclusively by V6 engines, the RT platform marked the introduction of a 4.0 L SOHC V6 and a 6-speed automatic transmission. For 2011, the 3.6 L Pentastar V6 replaced all three V6 engines, remaining the sole V6 engine through current production. In Europe, the Voyager was powered by a 2.8 L VM Motori inline-4 turbodiesel; for the first time, no manual transmission was offered.
For 2012, the Grand Caravan C/V cargo van shifted its branding, becoming the Ram C/V. In 2015, Ram replaced the C/V with the Ram ProMaster City.
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The Volkswagen Routan was introduced at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show as a rebadged variant of the Chrysler minivans, manufactured at Windsor Assembly using the RT platform, designated as the RM platform. Marketed by Volkswagen exclusively in the North American market, the Routan featured revised interior and exterior styling as well as different equipment content from the Chrysler vans. Production of the Routan was discontinued in 2013.
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On February 28, 2020, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced the discontinuation of the Dodge Grand Caravan, the last RT nameplate in production; production of the minivan was scheduled to conclude in late May but has since been delayed to mid-July.

Sixth generation (2017–present)

The sixth generation of the Chrysler minivan was introduced at the 2016 North American International Auto Show, as Chrysler released the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. Serving as a replacement for the Town & Country, the Pacifica revived the nameplate of the 2004–2008 Town & Country-derived CUV. For the first time since their 1984 introduction, Chrysler markets a different minivan than Dodge, with the latter division retaining the previous-generation Grand Caravan; the export-market Chrysler/Lancia Voyager were discontinued.
Sharing the CUSW platform with the Chrysler 200, the Pacifica is the first minivan sold in North America sold with a 9-speed automatic transmission; a CVT is part of the first plug-in hybrid powertrain in a minivan, offered as an option.
For the 2020 model year, Chrysler reintroduced the Voyager nameplate. Adopting the lower two trim levels of the Pacifica, the Voyager also introduces a trim level specifically for fleet sale. The option of all-wheel drive was also reintroduced for the gasoline-only Pacifica during this model year.
For the 2021 model year, Chrysler announced that the lower two trim levels of Pacifica, sold as the Voyager in the United States, will be sold under the Grand Caravan nameplate in Canada. The base L trim level is now unnamed and the LX trim level adopts the SXT designation from the outgoing Dodge Grand Caravan. Vehicles bearing the "Chrysler Grand Caravan" nameplate were last seen in 2007, primarily in South American markets.
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