What's up with the Dodge Caravan?

[XDCX]

A newspaper report out of Canada indicates that sales of the Dodge Caravan are down 45% YTD.

That huge decline is compound by the fact that it's a new model - new product is supposed to be hot. :(

By comparison, sales of the Chrysler T&C are down 9% YTD.

Since the report didn't break down retail and fleet sales it's difficult to know whether the sales decline is a reflection of consumer demand or declining rental car sales.

I almost laughed when a Chrysler Executive pondered whether the elimination of the Short Wheelbase version may have had any impact on sales. They did the exact same thing to Dakota sales when they dropped the standard cab version. Clearly the concept of and "ad unit" is not grasped by the Sales Brass in Auburn Hills. :mad:

So, here's the question for the Dodge Dealers, is the 45% drop a reflection of retail sales or is it just a reduction in sales to the rental car companies?

Here's a link to the news report: http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=350871

[bruce350]

Initial inquiries were tepid at best. It is truly a great van, but if it don't look like a Ford Edge or one of the other crossover vehicles, it's not getting much play. Even they have cooled a bit.

Supply and demand. Control the supply-increase the demand. Caravans are a dime a dozen, and I get emails from my rep begging me to order more vans, and trucks, and jeeps, and, and, and-stop the madness!

[XDCX]

Initial inquiries were tepid at best. It is truly a great van, but if it don't look like a Ford Edge or one of the other crossover vehicles, it's not getting much play. Even they have cooled a bit.

Supply and demand. Control the supply-increase the demand. Caravans are a dime a dozen, and I get emails from my rep begging me to order more vans, and trucks, and jeeps, and, and, and-stop the madness!

Well I guess the e-mails from your District Manager are better than the phone calls from a Sales Bank trying to sell you a bunch of "Fence Units." :)

Concerning the Caravan, I agree it's a capable vehicle but it seems to have missed the mark?

I guess that I'm an "old-school" guy - I really miss the Short Wheelbase version that a dealer could use as an "Ad Unit." In the real world, not everyone can afford a Grand Caravan. (I still don't forgive Auburn Hills for eliminating the Standard Cab Dakota - that used to be a volume piece for some dealers. :mad:)

[XDCX]

In an effort to address the heavy sales decline in the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler advised the media that the decline is due to planned reductions in fleet sales, not a reduction in consumer demand.

Here's the quote that was released to the media:

"The total reduction in Chrysler minivan sales is solely because of planned fleet (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080306/BUSINESS01/803060342/1014#) reductions and not any consumer trend," Stuart Schorr, Chrysler's senior manager of sales, service and dealer communications, wrote on the automaker's media blog Wednesday afternoon.

It's difficult to determine what the retail demand is since Chrysler does not break out their sales results for retail and fleet.