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Typically, automakers aren’t precisely hip with the occasions. They know customers desire a sure sort of car after which completely flip it into one thing sudden — one thing that occurs particularly in segments that are shrinking. Normal Motors did this as soon as with minivans — and a few of the final minivans the corporate would make within the U.S. have been really known as crossovers by the corporate.
Welcome to Forgotten Vehicles, the place we delve into the historical past of the fascinating autos that most likely haven’t crossed your thoughts in ages. Be a part of us for an automotive journey down reminiscence lane.
The minivan market within the U.S. is not what it as soon as was. The segment has gone from promoting tens of millions to only a tiny portion of the market. When as soon as there have been choices just like the Ford Windstar, Dodge Caravan, and so forth there are simply 4 minivan fashions left now: Chrysler Pacifica/Voyager, Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and the Kia Carnival. Most different automakers who had entered the phase gave up on it way back. GM was one of many final holdouts earlier than falling by the wayside.
GM had a historical past of taking a unique method to the minivan phase, at the very least initially. Other than the slightly powerful, truck-based Chevy Astro and GMC Safari, the early 1990s noticed the corporate try to go after the king of the phase, Chrysler, with three space-age-looking fashions: Chevy Lumina APV, Pontiac Trans Sport, and Oldsmobile Silhouette. These items appeared like nothing else on the highway. They have been glossy and aerodynamic. I assumed they have been a few of the coolest issues I had ever seen on the highway once I was a child. They lasted six years earlier than GM went again to the drafting board.
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The second generation of GMs vans took a less radical, more family-friendly approach to minivans. Chevy dropped the Lumina name in favor of Venture for its van, while the Olds Silhouette and Pontiac Trans Sport/Montana were new vans with old names. All were badge engineered, of course, with slight differences. But sales of the GM vans were never strong. The Chevy Venture sold 97,362 in 1998, its best year. Meanwhile, the Dodge Caravan sold nearly 294,000 the same year. So GM went back to the drawing board again in 2006 and created the main subject of today’s post, their strange crossover vans.
Someone must have saw the writing on the wall with GM’s decreasing market share and said “we need something different — again.” By this time it’s the mid-00s. Crossovers are slowly becoming more and more of a thing. Instead of just simply designing new minivans for the market, GM goes and creates what they called CSVs or Crossover Sport Vans. It was done as a way to lure over buyers who were tempted by crossovers, but still wanted the versatility a minivan offered. I didn’t know such a person existed.
There was the Chevy Uplander seen above, that replaced both the Venture and Astro.
Buick got a luxury version called Terraza, its first and only minivan (at least here in the U.S. Buick has successfully sold a Buick GL8 luxury van in China for years now.)
Pontiac got an outdoorsy version called the Montana SV6. No one knows what SV6 means.
And Saturn got a version called the Relay.
The vans attempted to throw customers off by looking like and having certain features an SUV or crossover would have. There were the big front facias, larger than what you would usually find on minivan wheels, and fake ass skid plates.
But the sides and rear were all minivan. From the sliding doors to the rear tailgate. It was all strange.
Inside, there was room but nothing to write home about. There was an old-school column shifter. The center console was very long, reaching from the height of the speedometer to the floor. There were storage bins and cubbies, of course. But if you wanted to do something like say, warm your butt with the available heated seats, it was a bit of a reach.
None of them were particularly nice to drive, either. GM threw in a pushrod 3.5-liter V6 with 200 horsepower paired with front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive was optional) and ancient four-speed automatics. They were received with a resounding shoulder shrug. Automotive and Driver stated of the Buick Terraza, “for an asking worth of greater than 33 massive, this Terraza CXL is pricier than an Odyssey EX with Leather-based however gives 55 fewer ponies and fewer legroom within the entrance row than the Honda gives within the third row. Who stated a ;crossover sport van’is an effective factor?”
Motor Trend just about advised GM to attempt tougher with the Relay, saying, “We actually wished GM to do a greater job than this on its revised minivans, however there’s not a single class-leading function, and a few stuff is mainly out of date.” Automobile Magazine stated the Uplander “doesn’t measure up towards phase leaders.”
Consumers will need to have observed all these failings as they didn’t present up within the droves they did for the Dodge Caravan/Chrysler Tow & Nation. Collectively, the GM U Physique vans didn’t even match the yearly gross sales of the Chrysler vans. Solely 7,171 Saturn Relay’s have been offered in 2006; 13,488 Pontiac Montana SV6s; 11,948 Buick Teraza’s and 58,699 Chevy Uplanders. The vans have been dropped in 2009, proper across the time GM went into chapter 11.
The corporate has by no means entered the minivan phase once more. As an alternative counting on an ever-increasing roster of crossovers. Makes you marvel although, if the corporate didn’t actually have an curiosity in making an attempt to make a great minivan, why even attempt in any respect?
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