Over a year ago, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne stated at
the Detroit Auto Show that one of the two existing Chrysler minivans would be
killed off in an effort to remove redundancy among the brands.Since the Chrysler Town & Country and
Dodge Grand Caravan are nearly identical in every way, one of them is being
removed and considering that the sales of the two are similar and the Town
& Country demands a higher purchase price – many expected that the Dodge
would get the axe.
However, based on comments made by Marchionne recently
during an interview with Automobile Magazine, the Chrysler boss confirmed that
it is indeed the Chrysler Town & Country will be the minivan meeting its
demise in 2014.This year, the Dodge
Grand Caravan has been the better seller through the first five months by some
10,000 units and combined with the fact that the Caravan name literally
launched the minivan segment – it doesn’t come as huge shock that the Fiat-run
Chrysler Group will spare the Grand Caravan while killing off the Town &
Country.
Chrysler expects to replace the slot in their brand lineup
currently held by the Town & Country minivan with a new crossover that will
likely offer similar seating and cargo capacities to the T&C minivan but
with a look unique to this new CUV.We
can expect the new Chrysler crossover to be lean more towards the minivan end
of the design spectrum – possibly including a higher ride and four wheel drive
systems to make this vehicle more capable than the outgoing minivan.
Production of the Chrysler Town & Country will
continue through the middle of the 2014 calendar year but after that,
the Dodge Grand Caravan will be the only minivan in the Chrysler Group
lineup.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
Over a year ago, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne stated at