It might have looked like they were dying two or three years ago, but minivans have made quite a nice comeback over the past year or so. Updated entries of the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey and a reintroduced Nissan Quest are heading the charge.
But the leader in sales remains an old favorite in the family-hauler segment, the Chrysler Town & Country.
Chrysler announced today that its venerable van posted more sales in the United States than any of its competitors in 2010, with 112,275 Town & Country minivans sold. That's a 33 percent increase from 2009.
The Town & Country also led Chrysler brand sales for 2010, and was the second best-selling vehicle for the entire company.
That can be seen as good news or bad, depending on your point of view.
Minivans, while experiencing a resurgence, are likely to remain somewhat of a niche vehicle, thanks to the many popular crossover SUVs on the market.
So if you're a carmaker whose leading seller is in a niche category, you probably have some catching up to do.
On the other hand, it's always nice to have a leader in a sales category, any category. And Chrysler has proven year after year that it knows how to do minivans right.
“We are very proud of the Chrysler Town & Country, and its industry leading customer loyalty,” Olivier Francois, CEO–Chrysler Brand, Chrysler Group, said in a news release. “The original Chrysler Town & Country, the first luxury minivan, debuted in 1989. Seventy-five minivan-first innovations and more than 13 million minivan sales later, the company still leads the way with the best, most innovative vehicle to move people and things, without sacrificing style.”
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