- Chrysler says minivans are making a comeback as SUV prices keep climbing.
- Updated Pacifica is now being positioned as both luxurious and adventurous.
- The brand’s CEO still won’t say what’s next, but promises more news in May.
It’s been about a week since Chrysler unveiled its new and improved Pacifica. While it’s not what we’d call revolutionary, the brand clearly thinks it’s on the right track. New CEO Matt McAlear, who recently stepped in for Chris Fuell, believes the Pacifica is positioned for a new resurgence in minivan sales. While he didn’t divulge what else Chrysler might build in the near future, he does say more details are coming next month.
That confidence lands in an awkward spot. Chrysler’s entire lineup currently revolves around a single idea, the minivan, and that naturally raises questions about what comes next. The numbers don’t help quiet that conversation either. In the first quarter, Chrysler moved 25,423 Pacifica and Voyager models, a 28% drop compared to the same period last year.
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In an interview with CNBC, McAlear struck an optimistic tone. “We absolutely see the minivan market growing, and we believe there’s an opportunity for Chrysler to continue its growth year over year.” Notably, the brand was up in 2025 over 2024, but failed to reach its sales figures of 2023 last year. In fact, 2024 saw fewer sales for Chrysler than any year in the last decade, so growth from 2024 to 2025 shouldn’t be all that shocking or impressive.
What’s impressive is that Chrysler managed an improvement, even though it was a tiny one, despite basically just selling minivans. McAlear believes the momentum will continue. “We’re actually seeing a resurgence,” McAlear said. “At the end of the day, these things make life easier, and you don’t always have to impress everybody.”
No doubt, minivans are the more practical choice compared to SUVs for the vast majority of users.
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McAlear acknowledged that to a degree, saying, “I’ve got a friend that’s a racecar driver. One of his favorite things about this is he puts a shifter kart in the backseat with the third row down, with his kids so he can keep it safe and doesn’t have to have a trailer. Another buddy of mine loves kiteboarding, and he doesn’t want to put it on the top because it’s hard to get it up and down. It’s hard to keep it secure and safe. He keeps it inside.”
Try that in most three-row SUVs, and you’ll realize why minivans are often better. Beyond sheer usability, minivans still hold advantages in fuel efficiency, ease of driving, and price. Edmunds data puts the average minivan at $48,269, well below the $77,215 average for large SUVs. The catch is scale. Minivans remain a small slice of the market, inching from 1.7% in 2017 to just 2.4% in 2025. That’s not the kind of growth you build an entire brand around, which leaves Chrysler in a tricky spot.
McAlear was cautious not to let on too much about what the brand was planning. All he said was that Chrysler has “a lot of things in the works.” We’ll learn more at the brand’s investor day on May 21.
