New 2017 Chrysler minivan spy shots

The Windsor, Ontario plant that builds all Chrysler and Dodge minivans is currently down for a thorough refitting, which will clear out ancient equipment and presumably use all available space when the minivan line is complete: standard, plug-in hybrid, and crossover (some believe a large car will also be added, as the Volkswagen Touareg shared with the Volkswagen Phaeton).

In the meantime, Chrysler appears to still be running prototypes built in their Auburn Hills shop, anticipating the time when real pilots can run down the Windsor lines for a few months for testing before the all-important vans are made.

Chrysler, inventor of the modern minivan, is still the sales leader for the first four months of 2015, but it has increasingly relied on cheap versions, discounts, and fleet sales, while Toyota and Honda cherry-pick the high-end sales. The new version will, according to Sergio Marchionne, have a fully independent suspension, an all wheel drive option, and a plug-in hybrid option, and is extremely likely to have a crossover relation. Naming has not yet been announced, but many observers expect that we will see a Chrysler Caravan with a high-end Town & Country trim level, duplicating the current lineup but without diluting Dodge’s new muscle-car image.

Allpar now believes that the minivan will use the Chrysler 200 V6 nine-speed powertrain, with some rumors claiming there will also be a turbo four (possibly with the hybrid, so there is always torque available). The minivan is reportedly based on a stretched CUSW platform, and should start at $26,000 with lower or no rebates. We expect the exterior dimensions to remain about the same.

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