Matt McAlear, CEO of Chrysler and Dodge, during the 2026 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) in New York, United States, Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Matt McAlear, CEO of Chrysler and Dodge, wants the world to know that the minivan is not dead. Far from it, he said at the New York International Auto Show, where he introduced the latest version of the Pacifica Pinnacle, the most premium version of the brand’s unique product line.
The Chrysler brand – once one of the biggest names in the auto industry – only sells one family of minivans, which many see as a sign of the brand’s impending demise.
Chrysler, which has been promising new products for years, said it would share more plans with its parent company. Stellantis‘ Investor Day May 21 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. McAlear did not provide further details, but said the brand had “a lot of things in the works” and touted its one vehicle.
“We absolutely see the minivan market growing and we believe there is an opportunity for Chrysler to continue its growth year over year,” McAlear said. Chrysler is the best-selling brand in the segment, he added.
Resurgence of minivans?
Chrysler is often credited with inventing the minivan, or at least introducing it to the United States in the early 1980s. Rivals followed, but many have since abandoned it.
Since the 1990s, minivans have gradually lost ground to SUVs, which are considered sportier and more adventurous. Minivan sales made up just 1.7% of the market in 2017, according to Edmunds. In 2025, they were up to 2.4%.
Sales figures from Chrysler and its few competitors in this segment indicate growing interest in the adaptive and often affordable “multi-purpose vehicle,” as the minivan is sometimes called. The average transaction price for a large SUV is $77,215, according to Edmunds. The average price of a minivan, Meanwhile, it comes in at $48,269, just above the overall industry average cost for a new vehicle of $48,402.
There’s enough demand that Chrysler saw fit to unveil a new high-end version of its minivan at the auto show, called the Pinnacle. The vehicle is packed with features common to high-end family vehicles, like seatback screens that allow rear-row passengers to watch movies during a road trip. But there are also advantages that are difficult to find outside the segment: the second and third row seats on certain versions can, for example, be completely stowed in the floor.
Companies like Chrysler are also trying to look beyond the “family hauler” identity that the minivan has had for much of its history. Its Grizzly Peak concept features knobby tires and a roof rack, for a more robust option and McAlear said the company is considering how to do more.
“We are looking into it,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out if there’s a way to do it because people love it. And it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen from a minivan brand before.”
McAlear also touted the van’s storage capacity compared to similar vehicles.
“I have a friend who is a race car driver,” he said. “One of his favorite things about it is that he puts a shift kart in the back seat with the third row down, with his kids so he can keep it safe and not need a trailer. Another friend of mine loves kitesurfing, and he doesn’t want to put it on top because it’s hard to get it up and down. It’s hard to keep it safe. He keeps it inside.”
Pacifica sales increased only slightly in 2025. The affordable Voyager model, which the brand has since renamed the Pacifica LX, sells in smaller quantities but saw a larger increase. Pacifica sales declined in the first quarter of 2026, but Chrysler said they were up nearly 84% in March year-over-year.
There are only a handful of vehicles in this segment in the United States, five basic model lines, including the electric Volkswagen ID Buzz, which VW prefers not to call a minivan.
Sales of the Toyota Sienna jumped 35% in 2025 and grew again in the first quarter of 2026. It’s far from being Toyota’s best-selling vehicle, and many models, some of which were new or refreshed, saw a bigger increase. Toyota’s Japanese rival, Honda, saw sales of its Odyssey jump 10% last year. But they fell in the first quarter of 2026.
A particularly successful model was the Kia Carnival. Volumes increased in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. That still doesn’t match Kia’s comparable SUVs, as minivan sales are only a few thousand less than the three-row Sorento, but well below the popular, more rugged Telluride.
“Carnival is simply a great, practical family vehicle,” said Eric Watson, Kia America vice president of commercial operations. “I think at the stage of life where people have kids and want these power sliding doors and the configuration of what this vehicle offers, it’s perfect for that stage of life.”
Kia was one of the latest entrants into the segment, and although it features a sliding rear door that defines the minivan segment, the body panel is perforated to give the illusion that the vehicle is an SUV.
“I think it appeals to a lot of people and reduces the stigma of being a minivan family,” Watson said.
But some are attracted to the segment itself. While the Chrysler Pinnacle starts above $56,000, the least expensive LX starts just above $41,000.
“We’re actually seeing a resurgence,” McAlear said. “At the end of the day, these things make life easier and you don’t always have to impress everyone.”