Chrysler Confident in Success of Next-Generation Town & Country

CHICAGO – Chrysler CEO Al Gardner says the brand remains committed to the minivan despite the ongoing trend of consumers leaving other segments for CUVs.

“We wouldn’t invest if we didn’t completely understand the segment and recognize it’s very stable,” he tells WardsAuto at the auto show here. “It’s stable for a reason. Sliding doors and flexibility on the interior is vital to the customer.”

Gardner says the minivan segment has remained at about 500,000 deliveries annually for the past five years, a trend he sees continuing. The popularity of CUVs already has taken its toll on the segment, he says, noting the minivan sector used to hover near 1 million units per year.

“There are four main players, us, Kia, which is nice but we know we can beat that one, and (Toyota) Sienna and (Honda) Odyssey, and they’re really good,” Gardner says. “Nobody else wants to play.”

The automaker beginning Feb. 14 is implementing a 14-week shutdown at its Windsor, ON, Canada, plant to accommodate production of the next-generation Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which goes on sale in 2016 as a ’17 model.

Gardner declines to reveal details of the new model, but acknowledges it must redefine the segment in order to grow sales.

“The next vehicle that comes out of that plant will be stunning and change the way you think about minivans going forward,” he says. “That’s the only way the segment grows. It can stay stable, that’s not the issue.”

While Chrysler is going ahead with a next-generation Town & Country, Dodge is pulling the plug on the Grand Caravan minivan.

Traditionally, the Grand Caravan slotted below the more-upmarket Town & Country in price. The ’15 Chrysler Town & Country starts at $29,995, while the Grand Caravan stickers at $21,395.

Gardner says parent FCA U.S. has a plan to retain Grand Caravan buyers once that model exits the market.

He declines to say whether Chrysler will offer a lower-priced version of the Town & Country to fill some of the void, noting the automaker doesn’t want to tip off competitors to its strategy.

“We have a plan to figure this out, and so we should. They’re our customers,” Gardner says. “We have to maintain the buyers at the lower end. We recognize that’s an opportunity and we need to hold on to that customer and there are multiple ways to do it.”

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