The Dodge Caravan was designed to fit in a garage and ended up introducing cup holders
When Chrysler started sketching a family van in 1977, one requirement was modest: it had to fit inside an ordinary garage. The result, launched in November 1983, rode low like a car, is credited with the first built-in cup holders in a mass-produced vehicle, and helped sell over 14.6 million Chrysler minivans.
Designers wanted a low floor and the quiet, smooth ride of a sedan. Front-wheel drive made the flat floor possible, but rear-wheel drive stayed on the table for cost reasons until Hal Sperlich and Lee Iacocca moved from Ford to Chrysler in late 1978 and the project, then called T-115, committed to front drive. Pencilled in for 1982, the van arrived for the 1984 model year alongside its twin, the Plymouth Voyager.
Much of it came off the shelf. The Caravan had its own chassis but borrowed engines, transmissions, dashboard and trim from Chrysler's K-cars, and its top-hinged rear hatch resembled a K station wagon's. There was only one sliding door, on the passenger side, so the shorter middle bench sat towards the driver to leave a path to the third row. Because the van counted as a light truck, base models skipped headrests. A cargo edition called the Mini Ram Van could carry 1,700 pounds.
Early engines were humble: a carburetted 2.2-litre four with 96 horsepower, or a Mitsubishi 2.6 with 104. Within a few years buyers could choose fuel-injected fours, a turbocharged 2.5 and Mitsubishi and Chrysler V6 engines, and the long Grand Caravan joined in May 1987. The Ultradrive four-speed automatic added in 1989 improved economy but became notorious for restless gear hunting that wore out its clutches.
Every Caravan was built at Windsor, Ontario, with a St. Louis-area plant also contributing from 1987 to 2007. Across five generations and 36 model years it became the second-longest-running Dodge name after the Charger, even wearing Volkswagen badges as the Routan for a few years. Production ended on August 21, 2020.
Source: Dodge Caravan
