When minivans were misjudged as a trend
10/13/2019
The Opel Zafira appeared in 1999, followed four years later by the VW Touran. However, the Renault Espace had already existed in 1984. And the Chrysler Voyager too.
It was not until the end of the 1980s that German manufacturers seemed to have recognized the new trend that had swept over from the USA. Auto Motor und Sport predicted minivans from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, Opel and Volkswagen, but the drawings (and ideas) were more reminiscent of the estate cars from these brands. And they did not materialize, but the aforementioned Zafira and Touran came later, which ultimately rolled up the field from behind.
Also of interest in the report were the bestsellers of the time: Chevrolet Astrovan, Ford Aerostar, Pontiac Trans Sport, VW Caravelle, Toyota Model F and Mitsubishi Spacewagon, as well as, of course, Chrysler Voyager and Renault Escape. Only a few of these cars have survived and would probably be classified as real exotics today.
