Transitioning from one model to the next isn’t always a straightforward task for automakers. Forecasting and assembling the outgoing model before retooling for the incoming model is not an exact science.
For the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler’s replacement for the Town & Country minivan, the task was not made any easier by the presence of a value-oriented competing model inside Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ own fold. Through the first three-quarters of 2016, the Dodge Grand Caravan has set a pace that may end with the best calendar year of sales since 2012, if not 2007.
The Grand Caravan’s position atop the minivan leaderboard and the large number of Chrysler Town & Countrys that needed to be cleared out created uninspiring Pacifica sales numbers for the first few months of its life-cycle.
But Pacifica sales last month were 23-percent higher than in August, and the Chrysler Pacifica very nearly became America’s best-selling minivan in September 2016.
Only a matter of time?
Overall, September 2016 was a disappointing month for minivan sales in America. After rising 23 percent through the first seven months of the year — strengthened by a comparison with early 2015, when FCA’s Windsor, Ontario, minivan plant was shutdown — minivan sales dipped slightly in August and then fell 9 percent in September.
With only 39,818 sales, September represented the lowest-volume month for minivan sales since January. The sector’s share of the overall industry slid from 3.0 percent in September 2015 to 2.8 percent in August 2016. At the end of the current model’s term, Honda Odyssey volume fell 10 percent. Nissan’s oft-ignored Quest plunged by more than two-thirds. The Kia Sedona stood out with a modest 0.4-percent uptick, but September’s top-selling Toyota Sienna took a 12-percent dive.
Overall, with combined Pacifica/Town & Country volume up 10 percent and nearly 8,200 extra sales from the Grand Caravan, FCA’s share of the minivan market grew to 46 percent from 44 percent a year ago.
|
Minivan
|
Sept.
2016
|
Sept.
2015
|
%
Change
|
9 mos.
2016
|
9 mos.
2015
|
%
Change
|
|
Toyota Sienna
|
9,269 | 10,527 | -12.0% | 99,510 | 104,573 | -4.8% |
|
Chrysler Pacifica
|
9,172 | — | — | 35,572 | — | — |
|
Honda Odyssey
|
8,954 | 9,924 | -9.8% | 94,835 | 98,834 | -4.0% |
|
Dodge Grand Caravan
|
8,179 | 9,941 | -17.7% | 102,732 | 65,383 | 57.1% |
|
Kia Sedona
|
3,051 | 3,039 | 0.4% | 37,355 | 29,864 | 25.1% |
|
Chrysler Town & Country
|
981 | 9,249 | -89.4% | 57,926 | 62,085 | -6.7% |
|
Nissan Quest
|
209 | 656 | -68.1% | 10,055 | 7,609 | 32.1% |
|
Mazda 5
|
3 | 381 | -99.2% | 365 | 7,758 | -95.3% |
|
—
|
—
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Total
|
39,818 | 43,717 | -8.9% | 438,350 | 376,106 | 16.5% |
Year-to-date, 45 percent of the minivans sold in the United States have been Chrysler and Dodge products, a massive increase from 34 percent in 2015 when, again, FCA minivan sales had plunged because of factory retooling.
As for the Pacifica on its own, the top-ranked Sienna was only 97 sales ahead of the Chrysler by September’s end. (The Pacifica trailed the leading Dodge Grand Caravan by 3,113 units in August; the Sienna by 2,823 sales.)
Since its end-of-April launch, 35,572 Chrysler Pacificas have reached American driveways. With the 200 sedan dying and no replacement in sight, the Pacifica is a hugely important fixture in the Chrysler lineup. 54 percent of Chrysler brand sales were produced by minivans in September, up from 36 percent a year ago.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.
I wonder if FCA’s ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic will have the same reliability as their awful 2.7 V6 did.
Time will tell. It is definitely evolving. The 9-speed they are selling today drives much better than the early versions.
Clearly they did some work on their Dad Brand.
I must admit I find the styling appealing. Don’t know about the rest, however.
I agree Zackman…..styling wise to me this is the prettiest minivan ever built. I have seen them in the flesh and they are really nice.
Is there a ’17 Grand Caravan coming out, or is it being euthanized?
Oddly, all the vehicles on Dodge’s website are ’16 models. You’d think they’d be showing ’17s by October.
Apparently the plan is to do the Dodge Journey thing with the Grand Caravan…keep selling it to fleets and to blue light special retail buyers.
Yes, but here’s the big question: How many of these did FCA pump right into fleets, ala Chrysler 200? We’ve seen this “it’s a HUUUUUUUGE hit right out of the gate” story before from FCA. Or did they learn their lesson?
I don’t think any of these are going fleet. The T&C or GC will take care of that
Yes. All the rental companies in town received hundreds of these. I live in one of the biggest rental car markets in the world. They are flush with these.
Can confirm. Saw two BRAND NEW Pacificas at my local Enterprise last week.
They’re pretty.
More likely, the suttle changes in the TV ads from dickheaded Jim to Hotpockets Jim stopped alienating female buyers who resented his crass behavior.
Once when I was about 10 an older sister maddeningly stumped me by asking me to spell “subtle”.
Thanks for the memory!
TIL the Pacifica has an optional inflatable compact spare tire, sitting behind the 3rd row on the driver’s side. Not available on the hybrid nor vacuum cleaner equipped vehicles. Bummer.
I know I’m in the minority here but I see these on the road and they’re still awfully big (the same goes for Odyssey, Sienna, etc.). Seems like the old Mazda MPV, Mazda5 and Kia Rondo sized minivans are officially extinct from the US market.
Those vans went extinct because their third rows were small and there was no cargo space behind them.
Vans sell like crazy here in Utah. The big family Mormon culture drives it I’m sure. Utah must have the highest per capita van numbers in the country. Anyone have the van numbers for Utah?
All minivans have grown in height and width, mostly because (at least, in my theory) of the growth of child seats. Yes, length has grown too, but most of that is in the overhang. You can’t directly compare an old SWB minivan to a new one because new SWB minivans don’t exist; they’ve been replaced by midsize CUVs. A Pacifica has only a 2.5″ longer wheelbase than the original Town & Country minivan (but it does have nearly 10″ more front and rear overhang).
Small vans are less profitable than compact SUVs that can sell for the same price. So why bother? Pretty much the CUVs took over the older smaller van places and if you’re desperate for a smaller van you can still buy a Ford Transit Connect or Ram Promaster van. I’m looking seriously at those two for the fact that it’s cheaper to run than most CUVs and offers way more practical space. But they’re plain and largely come with less features. :S
This is one sexy MFing van. If I were in the market for something as big as a Tahoe I’d be all over this. Thank God I’m not though.
GC/T&C were really good bang-for-buck. Wonder if they kept ’em going (alongside the Pacifica), if they would still sell. Kind of like buying last year’s computer/phone/whatever – there are people who don’t need the latest/greatest and can appreciate a good deal.. Families with 4-5 kids especially.