The 2008 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan minivan redesign was a pivotal fork-in-the-road for this product and the company. I'm not sure they took the right path.
Chrysler's engineers could have designed something unique, streamlined and beautiful. Instead, they chose to prey upon the fears of drivers, especially the soccer moms looking for safety and security. The new van has a blunt nose, wide stance and aggressive-looking grill, similar to the Charger and 300, to give it the feeling of increased safety.
The new design also is more macho and gets away from the soccer-mom look. GM did the same thing with its under-achieving minivans several years ago. The slight increase in sales didn't help enough to keep the "U" chassis from being cut from the GM product lineup. 2008 will be the last year for the Chevrolet Uplander minivans.
Even in 2004 when Chrysler was redesigning their minivans, the writing on the wall said "accommodate older baby boomers, be environmentally responsible, increase gas mileage, and give us some luxury features."
Chrysler increased the luxury features, but missed everything else. I don't see any increase in accessibility features for persons with disabilities or any assistance to the vehicle modifiers now dealing with the nightmare of completely redesigning their lowered floor vehicle.
I'm sure Chrysler engineers and marketing people can site the increased problems meeting upgraded 2008 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, market pressures from overseas companies, and lack of sales volume in the "disability market" as reasons for not producing accessible product. However, the creative process used to solve accessibility problems can be its own reward and has often lead to new and wildly successful products.
Chrysler could have chosen a path filled with innovation, style and environmental sensitivity. Instead they have chosen a path leading to a homogenized product line while showing the world a fierce face.
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