Chrysler Going Upscale For New Town & Country

2015 Chrysler Town & Country (Credit: Chrysler )

According to a new report that recently ran in Automotive News, the Chrysler Town & Country is about to go more upscale. That also means the minivan will become more expensive as the American brand strives to woo car shoppers who are looking at the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and Kia Sedona.

The Dodge Grand Caravan is going end-of-life, at least as a minivan model, leaving the Town & Country as the last minivan standing from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Not only is that change happening, but Chrysler has announced it will kill off the American Value Package that is offered on the Dodge Grand Caravan. The package is made to appeal to price-sensitive consumers by giving them an exceptionally low-priced minivan. The MSRP on a Dodge Grand Caravan American Value Package is a mere $21,395. That’s officially the cheapest minivan on the American market, meaning shoppers looking for a low-price family hauler option will have to seek it elsewhere.

The information included in the Automotive News report indicates that the move isn’t born out of snobbery but rather a shift in market strategy. The vehicle will be riding on a new platform and will include an array of new technologies, likely a number of them being driver-assistance systems, which make the Town & Country more expensive to manufacture. According to Automotive News, the base MSRP for the next generation of the minivan will be about $26,000 and the top-of-the-line trim will be somewhere around $45,000.

If you think that sounds expensive, considering that the 2015 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite has an MSRP of $44,600 and the 2015 Toyota Sienna Limited Premium’s MSRP is $46,300. Gone are the days when minivans were basic forms of transportation. Along with powered side doors and tailgates, the top-of-the-line models are packed with features like Blu-ray entertainment systems, all-wheel drive, and a built-in vacuum cleaner.

Expect the next-generation Town & Country to undergo a transformation similar to that of the Chrysler 200, which will help justify the price bump.