Photo: Chrysler
The automotive industry is no stranger to the badge-engineering concept. But even if we're living in this Internet-driven age of information, Chrysler is still doing it with the Grand Caravan for Canada.
First of all, let’s make a small recap. Chrysler rolled out the Pacifica minivan for the 2017 model year, then renamed the base trims Voyager. Adding to this confusion, the Voyager in the U.S. is the same thing as Grand Caravan for the Canadian market. Pretty ridiculous, isn’t it?
“Particularly here in Canada, that name has become synonymous with affordable, safe, and innovative family transportation that the Grand Caravan builds upon,” said David Buckingham, president and chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Canada. From a business standpoint, David failed to highlight that different badging adds to the production costs and that a different nameplate requires different advertising and marketing efforts.
Made in Ontario alongside the Voyager and Pacifica, the newcomer retails at CAD 37,995 or CAD 39,995 for the SXT specification. Options include the SafetyTec Group and Stow ‘n Place roof rack as well as the Cold Weather Group, Power Group, Trailer-Tow Group, and a DVD player.
Care to guess what’s hiding under the hood? Surprise; it’s the name ol’ Pentastar V6 as the other two minivans sold by Chrysler in the United States! 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque are channeled to the front wheels by a nine-speed automatic transmission, and as standard, customers are treated to seven seats, Apple CarPlay, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen.
A nice touch for a family-hauling vehicle comes in the guise of Active Noise Cancelling. Dual-zone climate control, power second-row windows, push-button start, keyless entry, and cruise control are standard too, and at an additional price, the number of seats can grow to eight.
The question is, how does the Grand Caravan stack up against the competition? The Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey come to mind, and even though they’re a few thousand Canadian dollars more, these two have more standard equipment and better reliability records than Chrysler.
“Particularly here in Canada, that name has become synonymous with affordable, safe, and innovative family transportation that the Grand Caravan builds upon,” said David Buckingham, president and chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Canada. From a business standpoint, David failed to highlight that different badging adds to the production costs and that a different nameplate requires different advertising and marketing efforts.
Made in Ontario alongside the Voyager and Pacifica, the newcomer retails at CAD 37,995 or CAD 39,995 for the SXT specification. Options include the SafetyTec Group and Stow ‘n Place roof rack as well as the Cold Weather Group, Power Group, Trailer-Tow Group, and a DVD player.
Care to guess what’s hiding under the hood? Surprise; it’s the name ol’ Pentastar V6 as the other two minivans sold by Chrysler in the United States! 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque are channeled to the front wheels by a nine-speed automatic transmission, and as standard, customers are treated to seven seats, Apple CarPlay, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen.
A nice touch for a family-hauling vehicle comes in the guise of Active Noise Cancelling. Dual-zone climate control, power second-row windows, push-button start, keyless entry, and cruise control are standard too, and at an additional price, the number of seats can grow to eight.
The question is, how does the Grand Caravan stack up against the competition? The Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey come to mind, and even though they’re a few thousand Canadian dollars more, these two have more standard equipment and better reliability records than Chrysler.
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