A New Minivan and a New Future

by Jeff Gilbert
WWJ AutoBeat Reporter

Chrysler launching a new series of minivans at its plant in Windsor, with a promise to the 4300 workers at that facility.

"I wanted to come here with one objective only, and that is to tell you that the future of this plant is, without a doubt, guaranteed," said CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The promise coming during a ceremony marking the launch of the new Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country minivans. Chrysler putting $1.4 billion dollars into the plant to upgrade both the vehicles and the way they are produced.

"By working together in good faith, we helped preserve more than 4300 jobs operating on three shifts at the Windsor assembly plant alone," said Marchionne. "We are in this battle together. We must continue to put our trust in each other."

Marchionne attended college at the University of Windsor, and briefly went off script to say how much the community meant to him.

Many workers had been concerned about the long term future of this plant.

"You have a great future," said Canadian Auto Workers Union President Ken Lawenza. "You can go out, but a home, buy a car, put your kids through university, because the collective future of this corporation is good."

The new Chrysler minivans are already at dealers and are on display at the North American International Auto Show. They include updates in the driving dynamics, the engine and the interior, plus some minor exterior modifications. But Chrysler says the next generation of minivans, that will be out in about two to three years will be very different.

"We've learned a lot on making this minivan over the last twenty plus years," said Marchionne, who told reporters that Chrysler would likely have one basic minvan, with other "people mover" variations. "I think we need to upgrade this, and make it a much more versatile platform and one that will allow us to make more than just minivans off of it."

Chrysler is also very likely to build a hybrid minivan, Marchionne says. He told reporters that they would have a hybrid version of the Chrysler 300 big car sometime in 2012.

The new minivans are among 16 vehicles that have been updated by Chrysler in one way or another, most launching within the past few months. That's an unprecedented amount of new vehicle launches in a very short time.

"So far, touch wood, they've all gone well," Marchionne said after the Windsor ceremony. "I won't tell you about the heart palpitations as we launched some of these vehicles, but we dealt with them quietly."

Follow Jeff Gilbert on Twitter @jefferygilbert