Zwartkop, Pretoria – Chrysler LLC’s “family rooms on wheels” have been awarded the motor industry’s highest honors. For the first time in the award’s history, the all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country (Grand Voyager in South Africa) and its USA only Dodge Grand Caravan sibling captured all of the votes for best minivans in the 2008 International Car of the Year Awards (ICOTY), leaving no room for third-place contenders.
The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country earned first-place in two categories, International Truck of the Year and The Most Compatible Minivan of the Year whilst the Dodge Grand Caravan earned second place in The Most Compatible Minivan of the Year category as well.
As the fifth generation of industry leading minivans, the Chrysler and Dodge are designed to be “family rooms on wheels,” with each offering distinct advantages in the areas of safety, fuel economy, functionality and design.
Among the all-new minivans’ 35 new or improved features are:
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Three distinct seating systems that include the Swivel n’ Go™ seat system, the Stow n’ Go® seating system and a second- row bench seat with fold-in-the-floor third-row seat. Swivel n’ Go offers second-row seats that swivel 180 degrees to face the third row with a removable table that installs between the two rows, covered storage bins in the second-row floor, third-row uncovered storage and fold-in-the-floor third-row seating
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Standard safety equipment such as advanced multi-stage driver and low-risk deployment air bags, the all-row supplemental side-curtain air bags with added rollover protection and an electronic stability program with traction control and brake assist
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Convenience features like the one-touch power third row folding seat and YES Essentials stain-resistant, odor-resistant and anti-static fabric seats, a premium front console that slides rearward 530 mm and 13 cup or bottle holders
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A minivan-first six-speed transmission available with V6 engines for more spirited driving performance
Chrysler invented the modern minivan segment in 1983 and has been the innovation and sales leader in the segment ever since, selling more than 12 million minivans worldwide to date and pioneering more than 60 minivan or industry-first features.
The ICOTY awards are voted on by a panel representing a variety of automotive media. The ICOTY awards honor vehicles made in all countries around the world that are sold in North America. The awards are a salute to automakers and their teams for their success in connecting with consumers. J.D. Power tabulated the jury votes.
The new Chrysler Grand Voyager will make its first appearance on the local market in the second quarter of 2008.
