2008 Chrysler Town & Country
Chrysler's Town & Country (above) and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans were
revised for 2008. They feature 35 new or updated features.

­Troubled Chrysler Group (now the New Chrysler) is banking on the success of its revised minivans to rescue the company from slipping sales and sliding market share. The trick is, Chrysler is relying almost solely on kid appeal ­to do it. Wi­th a bunch of new family-friendly features, lower prices, and stale competition Chrysler is looking for a home run from its newest "ultimate family room on wheels."

Chrysler has long been the champion of the minivan market. Since the minivan's inception in 1983, Chrysler has sold almost 12 million minivans and the Dodge Grand Caravan has been America's number-one-selling minivan the whole time. Part of its success is owed to innovations added to the original people-mover concept that allowed it to evolve to meet the changing needs of the busy American family.

2008 Pricing
Dodge Grand Caravan
Chrysler Town & Country

"It's the ultimate vehicle for family flexibility. No other vehicle can beat it. This is truly the ultimate family room on wheels," said marketing manager Michael Berube.

The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan get overhauled for the new model year, growing in length, and losing their short wheelbase models. New are exterior styling cues, added comfort and convenience features, and a 240-horsepower 4.0-liter V6 engine and first-ever 6-speed automatic transmission. The 4-cylinder engine was dropped for '08. The big news, however, is what's inside.

"We added some huge innovations that are being talked about and creating buzz among families. One of the things we hear from people is 'this is so cool; these features are so cool,'" Berube said.

Throughout the minivan's history, Chrysler has pioneered features like the minivan's sliding door, dual power sliding doors, and Stow 'n Go seating. Innovative, new-for-2008 features are aimed squarely at the minivan's most demanding and precious cargo: kids, but more specifically, bored kids, hungry kids, thirsty kids, messy kids, and busy kids.

Dual-DVD Entertainment

2008 Chrysler Town & Country
Two screens and two DVD players allow different rows to play different media.

Helping to ease backseat rivalries and front seat headaches no matter how long the trip is Chrysler's new dual DVD multimedia entertainment system. New for 2008, the van's two video screens have the capability to play independent of one another. The first row can pull down a pair of headphones from the overhead bin and watch a DVD, while the second row digs out another set of headphones from the map pockets to watch one of three Sirius satellite TV stations; Disney Channel, Nickelodeon Mobile, and Cartoon Network Mobile.

Mom and dad enjoy the silent sound of an avoided sibling squabble.

Swivel 'n Go Seating (Not available with Stow 'n Go Seating)

2008 Chrysler Town & Country
The Swivel 'n Go seating system allows the seats to rotate 180 degrees.

Chrysler is calling the revised vans "living rooms on wheels," and it's not too far off. With the new Swivel 'n Go seating system, the second row bucket seats swivel 180 degrees to face the third row. Insert the portable table and break open a game of scrabble, hit the books with some homework, or sit down to dinner on the road. The Swivel 'n Go table may only accommodate four or five passengers, but the vans have enough cup holders spaced throughout the cabin to house 13 beverages.

Stain-Resistant Cloth Seats

2008 Chrysler Town & Country
Chrysler claims YES Essentials fabric is stain, odor, and static resistant.

Just because you can basically live in your minivan doesn't mean it has to look like you actually live in your minivan. According to Chrysler, its YES Essentials cloth seats are stain resistant, odor resistant, and anti-static. Upended juice boxes won't stain and spilled milk won't stink. Sticky cup holders also aren't a mess--most of them are removable and dishwasher safe. Sticky kids, however, are an entirely different problem.

Power 60/40 Split Third-Row Bench With Tailgate Seating

2008 Chrysler Town & Country
The third row flips to provide tailgate-style seating.

Town & Country and Grand Caravan's third-row bench can transform from a regular forward-facing bench seat to a flat cargo load floor, to rear-facing tailgate-style seating with the touch of a button. Power seat configurations include the bench facing forward, the entire bench folded into the floor for more storage, half the bench folded for partial storage, or the entire bench flipped to the rear for tailgate-style seating.

The power third-row bench is available with Stow 'n Go or Swivel 'n Go seating systems.

Other new or improved-for-2008 features include double power sliding doors with power down windows, second- and third-row sunshades, ambient lighting throughout the cabin with pinpoint LED reading lights, a removable and rechargeable LED flashlight, MyGIG multimedia infotainment system, and a large multi-section center console that slides from the first row to the second row and features a 12-volt power outlet.

Chrysler's target audience for the revised vans are parents aged 35 to 45 with two or more children older than 6 at home. The vans' secondary audience is grandparents aged 55-65. This group currently makes up around 30 percent of Town & Country and Grand Caravan sales.

Chrysler Minivan Firsts
1987: First minivan to offer long wheelbase model
1991: First minivan to offer a standard driver-side airbag
1994: First minivan to offer standard passenger-side airbag
1996: First minivan to offer dual-zone temperature control
1996: First minivan to offer power memory seat and mirrors
1998: First minivan to offer a flexible-fuel compatible engine
2000: First minivan to offer wireless headphones
2001: First minivan to offer power up/power down liftgate
2001: First minivan to offer three-zone temperature control
2004: First minivan with split-bench third-row reclining tailgate seats



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