One for the Van Fans

Chrysler's newest creations, set to appear in showrooms next January as the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan are not pretty but they should be practical. The Voyager/Caravan will combine the were boxy rump of a van with the the truncated front end of a car. Known in automotive circles as a minivan, it was designed for people who want something smaller than a van make and bigger than a station wagon. Though comparatively squat nomads (more than a foot less in height than most vans) , it can carry a load of 1,200 lbs., only 100 lbs. less than standard models. If used to cart people, the minivan seats seven, one more than a typical station wagon.

In the mid-1970s vans were the rage. Thousands of small businesses bought them to haul supplies and make deliveries. A new breed of nomads outlined them with beds, bars, and stereos, making them into miniature mobile homes. Because vans burn a lot of gas, sales fell by about 60% after the cost of oil surged in 1979, but they are rising again now that the prices at the pump are falling.A major selling point for the Voyager/Caravan will be the 39 m.p.g. it gets on the highway, compared with 25 m.p.g. for a standard van.

Chrysler hopes that besides attracting van fans, the Voyager/Caravan will appeal to suburban housewives whose station wagons are not quite big enough for a Cub Scout den or a Little League team. For small-fry passengers, the step up into the Voyager/Caravan will only be 15 in., compared with 23 in. for a typical van. Unlike most vans, Chrysler's trimmer model will fit into a standard-size garage. The price of a Voyager/Caravan will range from $8,500 for a no-frills model to $12,000 for deluxe version equipped with such options as power windows and air conditioning.

General Motors and Ford are working on minivans of their own, but neither company will have a model out before late 1984 at the earliest. With its head start, Chrysler is gearing up to build 180,000 minivans in the 1984 model year. Many industry watchers fear that such plans for an entirely new product are too optimistic. Not so, believes a confident Lee Iacocca. He calls his minivan a "home run." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.