Once the bane of soccer moms everywhere, the minivan segment is on the rebound in sales. However, the remaining stigma surrounding the name has some marketing reps doing their best to make sure "minivan" is verbotten down on Flower Shop Lane.
The Detroit News reports the marketers are throwing around alternatives — such as "people mover," "MPV" and "family truckster" — in an effort to make the segment cool for all. Edmunds analyst Jessica Caldwell, however, has reservations on such re-labeling:
Nobody wants to be categorized as a minivan, but at the same time, they have to let people know about how they can utilize these vehicles. The harder you try to convince people it's not a minivan, the more they are going to think it's a minivan. Just call a spade a spade.
While the marketers are trying too hard to "#unminivan" the segment, minivan sales climbed to over half a million in 2013 after a nadir of 434,000 in 2009 during the global economic superstorm's early phase; sales peaked in 2000 at 1.3 million. Current offerings from the Minivan Three of Toyota, Honda and Chrysler dominate the market, though newer minivans such as Ford's Transit Connect Wagon and Kia Sedona will add more choices in the coming years.
Though the segment had a homogeneous appearance for the past few decades, modern offerings seek to grab an ounce of individuality as far as what each minivan has to offer to families and young people. In particular, smaller minivans could bring new customers to a brand, leading to further sales down the road as situations change among those who enter the showroom for a "people carrier" over a hatchback.
from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA
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