THE REVOLUTIONARY AUTOMOTIVE
IDEA
EVER SINCE THE MINIVAN BECAME PART OF THE AMERICAN LEXICON IN THE 19 EIGHTIES.
POWERFUL NEW REASON WHY THE PRIDE IS
BACK. IT'S UNDERGONE ALL KINDS OF REBOOTS FROM FAMILY FRIENDLY
TO FLUSH WITH FEATURES
TO EVEN DARE WE SAY QUASI
COOL.
BUT AFTER PEAKING AT 1.3 MILLION SALES IN 2000 MINIVANS BARELY
EKED OUT AROUND 2% OF ALL LIGHT VEHICLES SOLD IN 2023.
AND THE DOZEN OR SO CARMAKERS ONCE PRODUCING THEM HAVE NOW SHRUNK TO JUST FOUR.
IT SAYS TOWN AND COUNTRY.
IF YOU DON'T OWN ONE,
YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHICH DOES NOT PHASE A MINIVAN
FANATIC LIKE MATILDA PATTERSON FISHER IN THE SLIGHTEST.
THIS IS NOT YOUR MOM'S MINIVAN.
HER 2011 BLACKBERRY PEARL COLORED TOWN AND COUNTRY NAMED BABY IS HER TREASURE.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S ALSO A PART OF AMERICANA? I THINK IT IS.
I THINK IT'S A SERIOUSLY OVERLOOKED PART.
MATILDA AND HER HUSBAND, JEFF TOOK US FOR A SPIN.
WHEN YOU SEE ANOTHER TOWN AND COUNTRY DRIVER,
DO YOU GUYS SORT OF KNOW REAL RECOGNIZES REAL AND EVERYONE?
OH, YEAH. I'LL GIVE HIM A NOD. I'LL GIVE HIM A WAVE.
SHE SAYS THE COMFORT, CONVENIENCE AND SPACE IS UNPARALLELED.
THESE NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN,
THAT'S NOT THE VIBE YOU'RE GETTING ON FACEBOOK.
UM NOT ON FACEBOOK IN THE CAR SHOWS BECAUSE WE ARE SHOWING UP TO THE CAR SHOWS.
IT NEVER USED TO BE LIKE THAT ON FACEBOOK. MINI VAN LIFE HAS MORE THAN 8000 MEMBERS.
CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY OWNERS, 11,000
AND VAN CULTURE COMMUNITY. ALMOST 50,000
EVEN MILLENNIAL DADS LIKE 37 YEAR OLD JESSIE PERRY
ARE DIGGING WHAT MINIVANS ARE BRINGING TO THE TABLE.
HONESTLY, I SEE THE MINIVAN AS KIND OF THE PERFECT
VEHICLE.
HE SAYS IT'S A MUCH MORE REASONABLE PRICE TAG
THAN MANY SUVS MINIVANS ARE LOW TO THE GROUND
UH WHICH HELPS WITH CARGO, WHICH HELPS WITH KIDS.
SOME PEOPLE TALK ABOUT MINIVANS AS IF IT'S EMBARRASSING.
BUT PERSONALLY, I'D BE EMBARRASSED TO, TO OVERSPEND
ON SOMETHING WHERE YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING EXTRA
AND SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE CAR YOU REALLY WANT
AND
THE RED CORVETTE THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU'RE IN YOUR MIDLIFE
CRISIS
WAS THE MINI
PROFESSOR ROBERT THOMPSON AT SYRACUSE'S
NEWHOUSE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.
HE SAYS WITH THE ADVENT OF SUVS AND CROSSOVERS, THEIR APPEAL FOR MANY HAS CHANGED.
I SEE THE SUV AND THE CROSSOVER FOR MANY, MANY PEOPLE,
MORE OF AN EVOLUTION OF THE MINIVAN THAN THE MINIVAN IS DEAD
AND THAT'S JUST FINE FOR MATILDA
AND OTHER LIKE MINDED MINIVAN MAVENS WHO KNOW THEIR PERFECT RIDE WHEN THEY SEE IT?
DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE DRIVING A MINIVAN UNTIL THE DAY THAT YOU DIE.
MOST LIKELY
SAM BROCK NBC NEWS, LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.