Last year, the minivan only made up 1.8% of auto sales but more and more people are interested in purchasing the comfortable, multi-seater. Cheddar News looks back at the evolution and history of the minivan. 

Last year, the minivan only made up 1.8% of auto sales but more and more people are interested in purchasing the comfortable, multi-seater. Cheddar News looks back at the evolution and history of the minivan.&nbsp;

Closing Bell

Looking Back at the History of the Minivan

And the mini van is turning 40 years old. It only makes up about 1.8% of the car market last year. But more and more families and adventurers are thinking about getting one of these vehicles. Chatter news, senior reporter Michelle Castillo looks back at the history of this multi seater, the minivan, a childhood rite of passage, a suburban staple. I know people make fun of them and call them the Dustbuster if anyone remembers what this is, but they're awesome cars. They're roomy, they're reliable, they're comfy. The term minivan was first used in 1959 to refer to a small van, but it wasn't until 1984 when Chrysler introduced the Voyager and the caravan that we saw the modern form. It gave tremendous package versatility for carrying people and cargo. A number of incorporated safety features and a sliding door. Fuel is a proud owner of a Chrysler Pacifica. I'm a very active outdoor person and cyclist and I can put three or four bikes in the back of the Pacifica leveraging the stow and go seating storage. That practicality is what draws people in. Take the Toyota Sienna, for example, you had the ability to offer a package, front wheel drive, front engine that gave you all the capabilities and drive ability like a car. But gave you more packaging in a van building on its heritage. Today's minivan is all about providing a smooth ride. If you want additional comfort, there's the and then all you have to do additionally is just recline the seat and you can take a nap as well as being an entertainment center. We've integrated fire TV into the rear seat entertainment systems and they've become electrified. The latest models of the Pacifica and Sienna are hybrid. So now all of a sudden you get power but you also get the efficiency you really want and need with a hauler that can take you a long way and with the advancements, a new generation of families, empty nesters and road trip enthusiasts are all embracing minivans. I think they got a little bit of swag to them. Right. It's confident, right? It's a big car, you know, in New York, I'm Michelle Casillo there, Michelle. So I want to talk a little bit more about this minivan. The minivan customers base is stereotypically, families are these companies trying to expand. You might be surprised to find out that last year, minivans only made up 1.8% of auto sales, but they do have a lot of die hard customers. But right now companies like are seeing that they're having two main customers families like you pointed out to and people who like long road trips, outdoors people, they're also starting to see a growing segment of empty nesters and grandparents being more into these minivans because they have a lot of space and they're a comfortable ride. The one thing that has really held people back from minivans though is the idea that they, but these new hybrid models, the Chrysler Pacifica in particular, it's actually a plug in hybrid. So you can get that charge while still being partially gas dependent. They're getting pretty good MPG. So the Pacifica, for example, that gets 2032 MPG. The Sienna is getting 36 MPG. It's pretty comparable to your compact car. So Michelle, I know I'm in the minority, but I actually have a minivan and I love it. What kind of minivan do you have? I got a Kia. It's not fancy. It's just very, very comfortable. Would you ever own one? Ok. So I don't own a minivan. I own a crossover, I guess like SUV, I have a mini Cooper countryman, but I have to admit the majority of time I spent in the pandemic was in a minivan. So when we were out on the field, you're going to see that. That's great. White. That's our shooter, Steve cos minivan, we took it to Camden New Jersey. This is taking a nap. This is the Gray Ghost, the second generation, the both Honda Odyssey to, to Boston. It is very comfortable. We spent so much time in the minivan just because you need a place to chill when you're in the field. So I do have a special place in my heart even though it's not my car. I definitely spent a lot of time in minivans being especially at work. Only 1.8% but maybe it could be growing soon. Thanks so much.