Pacifica

Make
Chrysler
Segment
Van

Those who are looking to buy a value-packed Dodge Grand Caravan had better hurry up. Time is running out because the minivan that literally gave birth to the segment will be discontinued for good. Its corporate sibling, the Chrysler Town & Country, will live on with a completely redesigned generation due to arrive for model year 2017. Why keep that and not the other? Because Chrysler charges more and therefore makes a larger profit on the Town & Country.

The redesigned model will generate even greater profits, according to a new report. Today's Grand Caravan can be had for as little as $22,390 (including shipping), but the 2017 Town & Country will base at around $26,000. Pile on the options and you could spend as much as $45k. That entry-level Grand Caravan is actually called the American Value Package, but the reality, according to Chrysler boss Al Gardner, is that the base option "is a very difficult price point to get if you're going to build the technology, the content, the vehicle, the platform that we want to build." So what about all those Grand Caravan loyalists who can't afford or simply aren't willing to pay a premium? That's what Fiat Chrysler needs to figure out.