Chrysler news

Chrysler’s continued success with the segment it helped create in the 1980s is predicated on attracting more buyers such as Amante Bustamante, who last month purchased a 2008 Town & Country Limited. The 35-year-old’s purchase is his first minivan and first-ever Chrysler product. Bustamante, from Ashburn, Va., purchased the van primarily to haul his family, including a 3-year-old and another on the way, on vacations and to a range of activities.

The styling and entertainment features made the Town & Country stand out against competing vans and SUVs. Keeping passengers happy “It’s all about keeping the passengers happy,” he said, adding that second and third-row video monitors, a satellite television package and stow-away seats were major selling points. Bustamante has some qualms about the van’s uphill shifting and placement of control buttons, but said overall he’s very satisfied with his purchase.

Other buyers also are happy with their new vans, said Sylvia Marino, executive director of community operations at the automotive Web site Edmunds.com. “Reaction is extremely positive,” she said. “People feel they have great amount of power; Swivel ‘n Go seats are a hit; and the comments often are ‘My wife and kids loved it.’ ” Leader of the pack Success with minivans is essential to Chrysler, said Tom Libby, an analyst with J.D. Power and Associates’ Power Information Network.

The Caravan is the Dodge brand’s second-best selling vehicle, behind the Ram truck, and accounts for 16 percent of the brand’s total sales, Libby said. “For Chrysler, the minivan is similar to the F-Series truck for Ford,” he said. “They are perceived as the leader and it is somewhere where they excel so they want to keep doing well there.” The Town & Country drove the automaker’s minivan growth last month, outselling the Caravan by about 1,000 vehicles.