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Mini•Van Market
G
arages are devel-
oping split person-
alities. At the
Farmington home
of Linda and Bruce
Fay there are a full-size van
and a traditional family
sedan. She drives the
passenger car. He finds the
van ideal for use on his job as
a photographer.
At the Lake Orion home of
Rickey and Gene Faermark, a
four-wheel-drive Jeep Chero-
kee recently replaced the
family station wagon he was
driving. "We needed some-
thing that would get in and
out on heavy snow days and
have room for children plus
space in the back for the dog,"
says Rickey, who drives a
four-door sedan to work.
They are typical suburban
couples, with a garage con-
taining a traditional pas-
senger sedan and a multi-
purpose vehicle. The second
vehicle may be a minivan, a
pick-up truck or a four-wheel-
drive Range Rover. Whatever
it is, it's listed as a light truck
on auto production records.
And for its owners, it makes
an exciting and fashionable
alternative second — or first
— vehicle.
The singles crowd and
women are also switching to
A 4
-
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 1990
the truck lanes fast. Women
say they like the practicality
and the image of trucks. "My
Bronco is really cute," says a
proud career woman.
Last year, women accounted
for 19 percent of light truck
purchases. Their number will
reach 30 percent within ten
years, according to Ford
Motor Company predictions.
Trucks may some day
outsell passenger cars. The
experts believe that by 1992,
40 percent of all vehicles sold
in the United States will be
trucks and minivans. As of
1989, 39 percent of all
households owned at least
one truck.
Utilitarian trucks are
merging into the traffic mix
because the traditional sedan
and/or station wagon can't
handle all the transportation
jobs for a 1990s family. After
the first gas crunch, many
passenger cars shrank in size
and engine power to meet
stricter federal fuel economy
standards.
Meanwhile, contemporary,
do-it-yourself families needed
something to haul a load of
paneling, tow a heavy boat, or
carry three kids, a dog, the
baby's stroller and bags of
groceries. Others wanted
utility vehicles that go
The family
car is
undergoing
an identity
crisis.
JULIE CANDLER
anywhere despite the
weather or venture off main
roads without risk of sinking
to their hubs in mud or snow.
So consumers turned to
light trucks: full-sized vans,
minivans, pickup trucks and
go-everywhere utility
vehicles. Truck manufac-
turers, in turn, added to
trucks all the features that
appeal to passenger car
buyers: power locks, power
windows, rear defrosters,
elegant upholstery and in-
teriors. For those who want
elegance, they created luxury
models of minivans and util-
ity vehicles with leather
upholstery and all the
available creature comforts.
Even some pickup trucks
have gone upscale.
Ford was the first to make
a system of anti-lock brakes
standard, beginning with
1987 pickups. Now the recom-
mended safety feature is stan-
dard on a number of light
trucks and an option on
others.
"There's a blurring in the
spectrum between car and
truck," says Tom Gale, vice
president for product design
at Chrysler.
Station wagon sales are
dropping year after year.
Analyst William Pochiluk of
Autofacts, Inc. estimates they
will decrease from 9.2 percent
of the auto market in 1983 to
3.6 percent in 1994.
Minivans and trucks aren't
the only reason station wagon
sales are slumping. Another
is the hatchback car, with a
liftgate like a station wagon's,
and folding rear seats that
make room for cargo. Image is
another factor. Many thirty-
somethings look on station
wagons as boring cars of their
mothers' day.
Buyers often choose a truck
or van because it is relatively
less expensive than a passen-
ger car. Also, trucks can haul
a boat or trailer, while few
passenger cars have the
suspension and muscle for it.
MINIVANS
The hottest story in car-
truck interaction is the
minivan. It's the length of a
compact or midsize car but
usually on a higher platform.
It contains more cubic feet of
interior space than any sta-
tion wagon or automobile.
Base prices range from
$10,000 to $25,000 for the
Chrysler Town and Country,
which comes as a complete
package.
Among the newest entries
in the minivan market are
APV's (all-purpose vehicles)
from General Motors, with a
rakish sweep to their rocket-
ship front ends. With styling
assisted by designer Pina-
farina of Italy, they are the
front drive Oldsmobile
Silhouette, Pontiac Trans
Sport and Chevrolet Lumina
APV. The maneuverable
APV's are well-powered by a
standard 3.1-liter V-6 engine.
"It drives just like a car,"
says a pleased female owner
in Birmingham. "And yet it's
high enough to give me a bet-
ter view of the road."
The more a minivan is like
a car, the greater its chance of
being successful in today's
market, according to J. D.
(