What do you think of Nissan's new Quest?
05-26-2003 | 07:24 AM
#41
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,264
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From: Pittsburgh
Originally posted by LuckyDog
And it's quite a feat. Vehicles need cross members which go side to side as well as up and down to add rigidity as well as safety to them. In a minivan, you don't have many verticle braces (thanks to large door openings) so supports in the roof would try to compensate for this (that way, if a rollover should ever happen you would be protected). Now, put in a sunroof and you have to take out a few of those supports. This makes the vehicle shakey (convertibles not orgininally designed to be so suffer from this immensely) as well as weaker. Obvious, Nissan had to some up with some innovative design which most likely incorporated high-strength metals as to cover the safety and driving issues while adding the roof option.
And it's quite a feat. Vehicles need cross members which go side to side as well as up and down to add rigidity as well as safety to them. In a minivan, you don't have many verticle braces (thanks to large door openings) so supports in the roof would try to compensate for this (that way, if a rollover should ever happen you would be protected). Now, put in a sunroof and you have to take out a few of those supports. This makes the vehicle shakey (convertibles not orgininally designed to be so suffer from this immensely) as well as weaker. Obvious, Nissan had to some up with some innovative design which most likely incorporated high-strength metals as to cover the safety and driving issues while adding the roof option.
05-27-2003 | 08:45 AM
#44
HC Racer H5
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,261
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From: KCK
Originally posted by kazi
The same can be said for this, but it still isn't pretty.
The same can be said for this, but it still isn't pretty.
you are assuming the taurus and aztek are included in my statement you quoted and they were not...its all subjective anyway
05-27-2003 | 09:58 AM
#45
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,217
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From: Oceanside, CA
I'm pretty sure most of the people in here would not buy a minivan anyways. I don't think they create minivan for enthusiasts like us. Lets wait and see if the people who buy minivan would actually buy the Quest. It has alot of cool stuff like dvd and the sun roof. Look is subjective so I'm not even going to talk about that.
05-27-2003 | 10:18 AM
#46
Toyota Racing = Cheaters
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,536
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Originally posted by jaje
the new accord was not a pretty car when it first came out
you are assuming the taurus and aztek are included in my statement you quoted and they were not...its all subjective anyway
the new accord was not a pretty car when it first came out
you are assuming the taurus and aztek are included in my statement you quoted and they were not...its all subjective anyway
05-27-2003 | 01:38 PM
#47
I eat plastic.
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,177
Likes: 0
From: Detroit, MI
It's just goofy looking. The new Sienna is a great van, actually. I like it a lot, and it has quality that Toyota is known for. It's not bland looking, but it's not childish like the new Quest. Juding from the pictures, the interior looks cheap. It's not "cool." People do not buy minivans to look at. I understand where Nissan wants to add a little spice into a somewhat dull area of the market, but it has to be tasefully done. I don't think Honda's new Oddyssey will be breaking any styling bariers, but at least it won't make me say, "Why would anybody buy that?" It will make me say "No wonder they're on backorder, it looks nice, it has everything people need, and it's made extremely well" The company that is known to stir up a segment would be Chrysler. If anything, they're going to do something with the minivan again to get that segment going again. I have high hopes for Chrysler. They're coming along. Nissan was, now it seems like they're going down hill. Oh...well.
05-28-2003 | 04:31 AM
#49
HC Racer H5
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,261
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From: KCK
Minivans poised to bounce back
Since we are on this topic
http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=43671
http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=43671
By Mary Connelly
Automotive News / May 19, 2003
DETROIT -- Minivans, stuck with boxy designs, the soccer-mom stigma and growing competition from sport wagons, will continue to fade in coming years, right?
Think again.
The practical people haulers will get a big boost as key players redesign their minivans and add new entries. One leading industry forecaster, J.D. Power and Associates, predicts annual U.S. minivan sales will grow by 150,000 through 2005.
Increasing competition is bad news for the Chrysler group, the U.S. market leader.
"People have begun to catch up with us," says Dave Bostwick, Chrysler group director of corporate market research. "We have plenty of ideas that will be coming, but we can't discuss any of them."
Eleven makes - including Toyota, Honda and Chevrolet - will field new or updated minivans in the 2004-2006 model years. The Chrysler group's fresh models are not expected to arrive until the 2007 model year. (See box, Page 53.)
A staple
While the minivan heyday may be over, the vehicles are expected to hold their ground against a new generation of sport wagons.
"The minivan segment is thought to be a dying segment, and that is not the case," says Jeff Schuster, director of North American forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates. "We no longer see the decline in this segment that we have seen in the last few years. We see a modest amount of growth and stability going forward.''
Chrysler introduced the modern minivan in 1983. U.S. minivan sales topped 1 million for the first time a decade later, in 1993. They peaked at 1.37 million in 2000, slipped to 1.13 million in 2002, and are projected by J.D Power to drop below 1.1 million this year. But volume will rebound to 1.24 million in 2005, J.D. Power projects.
In the process, the minivan share of total U.S. light-vehicle sales will climb above 7 percent in 2004-2006, J.D. Power and says. That compares with an estimated 6.7 percent share this year.
"We invented the minivan, and what we invented turned out to be tomato soup," Chrysler's Bostwick says. "We will always have a can of tomato soup. People always come back to it. One out of 12 new-vehicle buyers winds up in a minivan."
Retirees toting grandkids are putting new life into minivan sales, Schuster says. He even sees evidence that some of the soccer-mom stigma is wearing off minivans among buyers willing to openly embrace the vehicle's practicality.
"It is not all of the buyers. But there are buyers who look at the product and say, 'This is a very practical vehicle. Call it what you want. It fits what I need,' " Schuster says. Typically these buyers owned SUVs and prefer the carlike ride and handling of a minivan and the ease of entry and egress, Schuster says. Nevertheless, General Motors will drop the word minivan when it re-engineers the Chevrolet Venture and the Pontiac Montana for the 2005 model year.
"It is a real emotional thing," says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific Inc., a consulting firm in Tustin, Calif. "People who drive minivans will say there is a real stigma attached to it, but you can't find a more useful vehicle on the planet. There is sustainable volume simply because of the people entering the family-rearing life stage."
Peterson forecasts flat minivan sales through 2008 at volumes below those of J.D. Power's estimates. "We don't see minivan sales growing. But we don't see a collapse either," he says.
Assault on Chrysler
The Chrysler group is must work harder to hold share as competition intensifies, analysts agree.
"2004 could be a trying time for Chrysler's minivan segment," Schuster says. Strong competition is expected from a stylish Nissan Quest and a larger Toyota Sienna, both redesigned for the 2004 model year. Ford Division is re-engineering the Windstar for the 2004 model year and will rename it the Freestar. Mercury will introduce the Monterey, a version of the Freestar, for the 2004 model year as well.
"A lot of very good minivans are going to be challenging Chrysler's market share," Peterson says. "The top tier Japanese minivans are going to be pulling buyers from the American minivans."
GM will re-engineer the Venture and the Montana for the 2005 model year. Buick and Saturn will add versions of GM's so-called "crossover sport van" or CSV for the 2006 model year.
The Chrysler group's grip on the market has slipped substantially in recent years. In its peak sales year, 1996, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth sold 538,807 minivans, and the company held 44.4 percent of the U.S. market.
In 2002, the group sold 408,681 minivans and held 36.0 percent of the U.S. market. Through the years, Chrysler has sold more than 10 million minivans and hopes to fend off its rivals by cultivating repeat buyers.
"That is one of our aces in the hole," Bostwick says. "We love good competition. It keeps us on our toes."
Given the number of fresh entries coming to the market, Chrysler should expect to be on its toes for a while.
Automotive News / May 19, 2003
DETROIT -- Minivans, stuck with boxy designs, the soccer-mom stigma and growing competition from sport wagons, will continue to fade in coming years, right?
Think again.
The practical people haulers will get a big boost as key players redesign their minivans and add new entries. One leading industry forecaster, J.D. Power and Associates, predicts annual U.S. minivan sales will grow by 150,000 through 2005.
Increasing competition is bad news for the Chrysler group, the U.S. market leader.
"People have begun to catch up with us," says Dave Bostwick, Chrysler group director of corporate market research. "We have plenty of ideas that will be coming, but we can't discuss any of them."
Eleven makes - including Toyota, Honda and Chevrolet - will field new or updated minivans in the 2004-2006 model years. The Chrysler group's fresh models are not expected to arrive until the 2007 model year. (See box, Page 53.)
A staple
While the minivan heyday may be over, the vehicles are expected to hold their ground against a new generation of sport wagons.
"The minivan segment is thought to be a dying segment, and that is not the case," says Jeff Schuster, director of North American forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates. "We no longer see the decline in this segment that we have seen in the last few years. We see a modest amount of growth and stability going forward.''
Chrysler introduced the modern minivan in 1983. U.S. minivan sales topped 1 million for the first time a decade later, in 1993. They peaked at 1.37 million in 2000, slipped to 1.13 million in 2002, and are projected by J.D Power to drop below 1.1 million this year. But volume will rebound to 1.24 million in 2005, J.D. Power projects.
In the process, the minivan share of total U.S. light-vehicle sales will climb above 7 percent in 2004-2006, J.D. Power and says. That compares with an estimated 6.7 percent share this year.
"We invented the minivan, and what we invented turned out to be tomato soup," Chrysler's Bostwick says. "We will always have a can of tomato soup. People always come back to it. One out of 12 new-vehicle buyers winds up in a minivan."
Retirees toting grandkids are putting new life into minivan sales, Schuster says. He even sees evidence that some of the soccer-mom stigma is wearing off minivans among buyers willing to openly embrace the vehicle's practicality.
"It is not all of the buyers. But there are buyers who look at the product and say, 'This is a very practical vehicle. Call it what you want. It fits what I need,' " Schuster says. Typically these buyers owned SUVs and prefer the carlike ride and handling of a minivan and the ease of entry and egress, Schuster says. Nevertheless, General Motors will drop the word minivan when it re-engineers the Chevrolet Venture and the Pontiac Montana for the 2005 model year.
"It is a real emotional thing," says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific Inc., a consulting firm in Tustin, Calif. "People who drive minivans will say there is a real stigma attached to it, but you can't find a more useful vehicle on the planet. There is sustainable volume simply because of the people entering the family-rearing life stage."
Peterson forecasts flat minivan sales through 2008 at volumes below those of J.D. Power's estimates. "We don't see minivan sales growing. But we don't see a collapse either," he says.
Assault on Chrysler
The Chrysler group is must work harder to hold share as competition intensifies, analysts agree.
"2004 could be a trying time for Chrysler's minivan segment," Schuster says. Strong competition is expected from a stylish Nissan Quest and a larger Toyota Sienna, both redesigned for the 2004 model year. Ford Division is re-engineering the Windstar for the 2004 model year and will rename it the Freestar. Mercury will introduce the Monterey, a version of the Freestar, for the 2004 model year as well.
"A lot of very good minivans are going to be challenging Chrysler's market share," Peterson says. "The top tier Japanese minivans are going to be pulling buyers from the American minivans."
GM will re-engineer the Venture and the Montana for the 2005 model year. Buick and Saturn will add versions of GM's so-called "crossover sport van" or CSV for the 2006 model year.
The Chrysler group's grip on the market has slipped substantially in recent years. In its peak sales year, 1996, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth sold 538,807 minivans, and the company held 44.4 percent of the U.S. market.
In 2002, the group sold 408,681 minivans and held 36.0 percent of the U.S. market. Through the years, Chrysler has sold more than 10 million minivans and hopes to fend off its rivals by cultivating repeat buyers.
"That is one of our aces in the hole," Bostwick says. "We love good competition. It keeps us on our toes."
Given the number of fresh entries coming to the market, Chrysler should expect to be on its toes for a while.
05-28-2003 | 02:29 PM
#50
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,181
Likes: 0
From: CA
Originally posted by DVPGSR
I know this is OT but huh?
I know this is OT but huh?
Originally posted by ImportFan14
Why don't you shut up?
It's styled that way, so that it'll bring a sense of coolness into the segment. It's a hell of a lot better looking than the Odyssey, Sienna, the GM and Chrysler vans, PERIOD. You can kiss my ass.
Why don't you shut up?
It's styled that way, so that it'll bring a sense of coolness into the segment. It's a hell of a lot better looking than the Odyssey, Sienna, the GM and Chrysler vans, PERIOD. You can kiss my ass.
Originally posted by q45
**** YOU.
**** YOU.