Chrysler celebrates the MPV’s 25 birthday
The launch of Chrysler’s MPV in 1983 created an all-new vehicle segment and was an instant success in the U.S.
By Leow Ju-Len
WHAT DO MOBILES phones, William Hung, the Nintendo Entertainment System and MPVs have in common?
They are all 25 years old, says Chrysler, as it celebrates the quarter century mark since the launch of the very first Voyager, which was then sold under the Plymouth brand.
Although Renault says its Espace was the first MPV (or Multi Purpose Vehicle), the Plymouth Voyager was launched a few months earlier than its French rival, giving Chrysler the bragging rights for being the inventor of the breed.
By now, just about every carmaker has its own MPV, but in 1983 the Voyager’s van-like shape and seven-seater configuration made its ‘living room on wheels’ concept a genuine innovation.
Since then, the Chrysler group has sold over 12 million MPVs – more than any other carmaker, it says – and picked up more than 260 awards, including one for the current, fifth-generation Voyager as ‘MPV of the Year for the 2008 International Car Of The Year awards.
Not bad for a 25 year-old…
