Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) launched the all-new 2016 Pacifica at the Detroit Auto Show, but the big question remains whether it can succeed in getting customers to buy the minivan. Fiat Chrysler’s Head of Passenger Car Brands for North America Tim Kuniskis said, ‘we invented the minivan and we’re now reinventing it. This is our first new platform in many years and we designed this platform from the ground up to be a people mover.’ Chrysler first debuted the 1984 Dodge Caravan model in 1983. Over the last decade, many would-be minivan buyers flocked to SUVs. Kuniskis said, ‘It now handles as well as any luxury car on the market. It’s quieter than anything else in this segment.’ The 2016 Pacifica will go on sale in the next two months and the electric hybrid version is expected to hit showrooms in the fourth quarter. With gas prices hovering at around $2 a gallon nationwide, Kuniskis said interest on the hybrid will be dependent on the price of the minivan. ‘It’s really going to come down to what’s the price/value equation for that customer.’
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