A funny thing happened to the minivan on the way to the scrap heap. Competition knocked out General Motors and Ford. But their retreat left three powerful players with high-volume minivans: Chrysler, Toyota and Honda.

The survivors get to split an ample 700,000-unit segment.

Minivan sales have collapsed in recent years because of all the alternatives: seven- and eight-seat SUVs, and now crossovers. But some people want and need a van.

"There aren't as many choices for minivans," says Randy Pflughaupt, Toyota Division group vice president of marketing. "There are fewer players and fewer options, but those that are left are pretty strong."

The overall segment continues to shrink in 2008--down 23.9 percent for the first two months of 2008. If trends continue, sales this year will be barely more than half of historical peak sales of 1,371,234 in 2000.

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By BRADFORD WERNLE, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

What about the up and coming Korean twins? They are very practical, too, and maybe even better than the DC vans, but they get left out.

What about the up and coming Korean twins? They are very practical, too, and maybe even better than the DC vans, but they get left out.


I am seeing more Kia and Hyundai vans on the road lately. I am not sold on the styling. But i suspect price and warranty are what sell them.

I get 25MPG on the Interstates with our Odyssey. With all that room, I love it! God knows I thought I would never own a minivan (although in my youth we did own a 1970 VW Bus), but its almost the perfect car, especially with the 3,500# towing capacity.