Report: Chrysler still undecided on which brand will get the next minivan

Chrysler takes minivans very seriously – and they should since the segment rescued the automaker from the brink of collapse in 1983 and continued to bring in million in profits by leading the market for decades in a segment that surpassed 1 million units for 12 years.

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A new report by the Detroit Free Press says that the company is still undecided on which brand, Chrysler or Dodge, will get the company’s next minivan.

There are currently four design concepts in the mix – a Dodge and a Chrysler minivan and a Dodge and a Chrysler crossover. All are being shown to consumer clinics until Chrysler figures out what to sell in 2014 as 2015 models.

The four concepts were designed by Ralph Gilles and his team.

“We know not all of them will see the light of day, but we spend a lot of time studying scenarios, trying out designs that could work in each scenario so we’re ready whichever way it goes,” Gilles said. “Luckily the designs, even though they look completely different, they are very transferable. It makes for more work for us but we don’t mind because there are great nuggets we can use in future programs.”

So far, the most recent comment from CEO Sergio Marchionne states that Dodge will keep the minivan so the Chrysler brand has room for a premium crossover.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit Free Press