FCA (FIAT-Chrysler) continues to clean up its product range. The concern announced the cessation of production of two Dodge models at once - the Grand Caravan van and the Journey crossover.
The Grand Caravan is the only remaining member of Chrysler's RT family of minivans. This line was released back in 2008, it also included the Chrysler Voyager / Town & Country (years of production - 2008-2016), the Ram Cargo Van (2011-2015) and - on the terms of badge engineering - Volkswagen Routan (2009-2014 ). In the range of the Chrysler brand, the RT minivan has been replaced since 2017 by the modern Pacifica model.
Despite its advanced age, the Grand Caravan remains the most popular minivan in the US market, with 122,648 units sold in 2019. Compared to 2018, sales fell by 19%, but Dodge still outpaced other segment leaders - Honda Odyssey (99,113 units) and Chrysler Pacifica (97,705) by a wide margin.
Grand Caravan, although it remains popular, is still hopelessly outdated. So FCA will replace it with new, more affordable versions of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, which is also built at the Windsor plant. For the cheaper Pacifica, the Voyager name will be revived, it will cost in the US from $28,480 - $6,510 cheaper than the base Pacifica.
Journey is also an age car. The crossover debuted back in 2007, sales in the US began in 2008. It cannot be said that Americans have stopped buying this car: in recent years, demand has been at the level of 70-100 thousand cars a year. The last copies of the Dodge Journey will be released in 2021.
Notably, the two models account for more than 38% of Dodge marque sales in 2020. They will not have heirs, since such utilitarians interfere with the new strategy of FIAT-Chrysler, which “cultivates” a manufacturer of sports and expensive niche cars from the Dodge brand.
Dodge to discontinue Grand Caravan and Journey
