Ford stopped producing Freestar in November & planned to restart this month.

They won't.

Ford officially is out of the Minivan business.

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs...701030384/1148

 

Not a problem for me.
I see traditional minivans being replaced by the new crossover breeds anyways - kinda like station wagons got replaced by SUVs back in the 80s and 90s.

Good move to concentrate on the Edge and MKX launches... they need to go flawlessly and every person who wants one needs to be able to drive off the lot with one (I mean "no waiting").

 

Realistically there are so many non-minivan vehicles on the market that are a suitable replacement for a minivan while being a lot more fun to drive, practical, etc - I don't understand why minivans still sell except to brady-bunch like families that often go on road trips with the whole family.

 

The problem will be crossovers are quite a bit more expensive than minivans. They also sacrifice some functionality with their higher floors, lack of stow 'n go seats, and lack of sliding doors. I think they're more replacements for BOF SUVs. I would guess that when GM and Ford stop selling minivans, they're going to lose the majority of those customers to other marques, not to other products in their own stables.

The minivan market may be shrinking, but it's still substantial (around 800k units I think). Pretty sad that GM and Ford can't make a competitive entry in such a bread and butter segment.

 

Ford replacement, the Fairlane (or what ever it is called) will sell a lot better. Gen X & Y will not buy minivans.

 

They have served their time and purpose, but are now dated. Time for new and fresh things.

 

I would say the market has matured but is relatively stable and will likely stay that way for a long time. Those who need the functionality of a minivan are mot likely going to look for a minivan and aren’t going to switch to something that costs more and does less. Minivans fill a need that no other vehicle really can fill as well.

That said; there are only two or perhaps three truly good minivans out there – no one else has ever really been very competitive. This is probably a good move for Ford as frankly, the minivan area is one most of the manufacturers would probably do well to get out of as I suspect it would take a lot of development money to come up with something that might dethrone the big players in that market.

 

I agree...selling for Chrysler, I'm amazed how many people come back time after time for another Chrysler van. The market has probably stabilized for awhile, and with Chrysler coming out with a new van this summer (which is sorely, sorely needed), hopefully Chrysler can continue to keep a lot of van buyers very, very happy.

When it comes to sheer space over style, a lot of people still seem to prefer a minivan. I'm really surprised how many young families still want vans over crossovers...

 

Good ridance to Ford mini vans. I have 2 relatives and have known others who have owned them and they are the worse. Pure junk, always in the shop and expensive to fix. Mini vans serve a purpose as great people movers with good economy. They have way more space than crossovers and get decent fuel mileage. I'd never own one but I have driven several and they ride and handle better than expected.

 

http://www.caranddriver.com/autoshow...n-country.html

Is it just me or did Chrysler put the nail in the coffin on minivans with this look? I mean the T@C should be upscale and this looks like a fleet rental from the outside.