emma@uw-june.UUCP (04/30/84)
About the Chevy minivan-- it has a conventional, front-engine rear-drive layout. Reports are that it is a downsized normal van, unlike the Toyota, Chrysler, and Ford products which are a new vehicle class. So I'd guess that it will have a market niche of its own, a size notch above these other guys. As to product planning, that's always been Chrysler's weakest point. The '75 Cordoba sold three times the estimates. LeBaron convertible sales the first year were completely supply-limited. Now, the van plant is working three shifts and nowhere near meeting demand. On the other end, we all remember the '81 Imperial (did they sell any at all) and the product introduction for the K cars, which nearly finished off the company. Lee has the engineering and marketing back, quality is almost there; estimating new product demand is the next big challenge for Mopar. -Joe P.