SWAGGER WAGONS

Click to watch Toyota's "Swagger Wagon" Respect the Minivan’s Swagger Like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, minivans get no respect, but unlike Dangerfield their death has long been exaggerated. In the 1990s, pundits predicted that the SUV would kill off the minivan. During the last decade those same pundits prognosticated that crossovers would spell doom for the prosaic minivan. Yet here we are, slipping into the 2011 model year, and minivans are not just still with us; they are gaining momentum.

2011 Toyota Sienna SE Toyota’s “swagger wagon” campaign for its all-new Sienna minivan obviously has resonated with consumers, and to prove that point the Sienna has vaulted to number two, becoming the second-most-shopped new Toyota model on kbb.com. We’re about to see the introduction of an all-new Honda Odyssey, and Nissan will bring the next-generation Quest to market early next year. Building on the momentum Toyota already has kicked off in the segment, those two significant entries should add incremental sales to the category.

It is doubtful minivan sales will ever reach the 1.4 million-unit annual volume they enjoyed in their heyday, especially when the current market is down a third from its high-water mark, but an upscale category that generates more than half a million sales a year is certainly worth playing in. So, yet again, it seems the minivan has avoided the grim reaper. Jack R. Nerad, Executive Market Analyst Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com

2011 Honda Odyssey