And then there was one ...
January 03, 2007

And then there was one domestic auto brand selling a traditional minivan --- Chrysler.

Ford announced the end of the line for the Ford Freestar has arrived. The automaker will not restart minivan production at its Oakville, Ontario, plant from the holiday shutdown. Ford had planned to build the Freestar through the end of the 2007 model year. Putting the positive spin on its move, Ford said demand is strong for its new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers, also built at the Canadian plant, while minivan sales are in a slump. The Freestar's twin, the Mercury Monterey, went out of production last August. Next year's Ford Fairlane will also cover territory left by the minivan.

Earlier, General Motors said it was abandoning traditional minivans for crossovers.

Neither Ford nor GM ever got the minivan right. Their entries were always sub par compared to Chrysler and then the Japanese and Korean competition.

That opens the door of opportunity to Chrysler, which will unveil its new minivans in a few days at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Chrysler, which invented the minivan and continues to dominate the market, ups the ante with the 2008 models.

Posted by Michelle Krebs at 6:41 PM under Companies | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine