Thursday, Apr. 30, 2009

Marvelous Minivans

For all of Chrysler's missteps — and there have been many — there's no denying that for a quarter-century, it has been the master of the minivan. In 1984, five years after the carmaker teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, the Plymouth Voyager became the company's first minivan and the model for scores of imitations. Though the minivan's cool factor has been blunted by its image as the plodding car of choice for soccer moms, it's a bedrock niche for Chrysler. Even as the company's finances crumbled in 2008, it retained a 41% U.S. market share for minivans.