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Minivan Sales Down 20% During the First Quarter of 2017

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Only minivans from FCA managed to experience any sort of sales gains during the first three months of 2017

The Chrysler Pacifica was named a 2017 Autos del Año

A dark cloud looms over the minivan market

If you thought that sedans were suffering in the current automotive market, then wait until you see how minivans are performing. During the first quarter of 2017, minivan sales were down by 20%.

In fact, only two minivan models outperformed their sales results from the first quarter of 2016: the Chrysler Pacifica and the Dodge Grand Caravan.


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This downward trend in minivan sales was observed by the team at Seeking Alpha. You can observe the chart that they composed below:

Across all brands, 122,782 minivan units were sold during the first quarter of 2017. Compared to the 153,374 minivans sold in the first quarter of 2016, this is a 20% sales decline.

Only two minivans, the Chrysler Pacifica and the Dodge Grand Caravan, managed to experience an increase in sales between the first quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017.

2016 Dodge Grand Caravan Silhouette

The Dodge Grand Caravan is the one true minivan success story out of 2017 so far

40,054 Dodge Grand Caravans have been sold in the past three months. Compared to the 38,057 Dodge Grand Caravans sold in the first quarter of 2016, this is a 5% increase.

Perhaps more importantly, one-third of all minivans sold so far in 2017 were Dodge Grand Caravans. In the first quarter of 2016, only one-quarter of minivans sold were Caravans.

2016 Chrysler Town & Country Side View

Despite the hype for the Pacifica, the Town & Country ultimately performed better in 2016

The other model to experience a sales increase in 2017 was the brand-new Chrysler Pacifica, which sold 25,052 units. However, when compared to sales of the now-defunct Chrysler Town & Country from the first quarter of 2016, the Pacifica is still outperformed, with 37,228 Town & Country vehicles sold during the first three months of 2016.

The delay of the Pacifica Hybrid model may have led to more disappointing sales for the Chrysler Pacifica so far in 2017. The hybrid version of the minivan was set to go on sale in January, but its release was delayed until April.

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Meanwhile, a new model of the Honda Odyssey is set to enter the market later this summer. This might increase the sale of Odyssey vehicles, which is currently experiencing a 23% decline.

The minivan that has suffered the greatest sales loss between 2016 and 2017 is the Kia Sedona. Only 6,418 Sedona minivans were purchased last quarter. When compared to the 10,231 Kia Sedonas sold in the first quarter of 2016, this accounts for a 37% decline in sales.

2015 Kia Sedona side view

Despite some impressive features, nobody seems to want a Kia Sedona

The Nissan Quest is suffering similar losses. With only 3,870 Quest minivans sold in the last 3 months, sales are down 33% compared to this time last year.

With sales combined between the Chrysler and Dodge brands, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ market share in the minivan segment is currently resting at 53%. This is a 4% increase for the company’s minivan market share, as it possessed a market share of 49% during the beginning of 2016.


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Nevertheless, even FCA’s overall minivan sales are down by 13% during the first quarter of 2017. In an automotive market that is currently experiencing something of a sales decline, it would appear minivans are hurting the most out of any vehicle segment.

Source: Seeking Alpha