Pacifica Comes Off as Millennial Minivan

AUBURN HILLS, MI – Chrysler’s ’17 Pacifica minivan is doing exactly what the company intended: Enticing customers out of big, 3-row SUVs, making inroads with potential Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna buyers and gaining consideration from Millennials entering parenthood.

“So far, it’s hitting on all cylinders. It’s a vehicle people love to look at and the flexibility is beyond anything on the market,” Matt McAlear, senior manager-Chrysler brand, tells WardsAuto at a regional media event for the all-new minivan at its headquarters here.

The completely redesigned minivan – including a new name to replace the Town & Country moniker – went on sale in late April, ramped up in May and recorded 7,207 sales in June, WardsAuto data shows.

The Town & Country and the previous-generation Dodge Grand Caravan combined for 19,527 sales in June, but Town & Country production has ended and units will be sold out in the coming month, clearing showroom space and production capacity for more Pacificas, McAlear says.

And as the pendulum swings further toward Pacifica, FCA is prepared to shift production at its Windsor, ON, Canada, plant away from the old-platform Grand Caravan and into the Pacifica pipeline. Production of the Dodge minivan is scheduled for the ’16 model year; Chrysler parent FCA isn’t saying whether the old model will soldier on for ’17.

McAlear says research shows Millennials will be raising 4 million children in the next decade and they’ll be looking for practical, multipurpose family vehicles like the Pacifica. The growing vehicle- and ride-sharing movement also plays a part in increasing interest in the minivan segment, he says.

“They’re a pragmatic generation, looking for the right fit and the right tool for the job, and they don’t like waste,” McAlear says, pointing to the tiny-house craze as an example of millennial interests and preferences. “There is no tool better for millennial customers coming into the market.”

One example of the Pacifica’s functionality is the Stow ’n Vac built-in vacuum system, which gained extra practicality thanks to market research, notes Jessica LaFond, Pacifica lead engineer. Research showed the “messiest” area in a minivan is the second-row seat directly behind the driver so the vacuum was mounted on the driver’s side behind the second-row seats to provide close proximity to that area, she says.

McAlear acknowledges the 500,000-unit minivan segment is down by half from its peak 15 years ago, but notes far fewer players are competing for those buyers today. A segment flooded with 17 minivan options at its peak now is down to a handful with just FCA, Honda and Toyota selling at volume and Kia and Nissan adding to the mix.

Still to come for Chrysler is the Pacifica Hybrid due later this year – the company still isn’t specifying exactly when. The Pacifica’s flexible architecture also leaves open the possibility of adding an all-wheel-drive model. Global sales are in the picture as well.

“We want to be the No. 1 minivan in the segment within a year,” McAlear says.

[email protected] @bobgritzinger