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A comment on Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch the First Minivan.

Re:Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch t... by somat on Monday December 11, 2023 @08:43PM (#38608197)
The first minivan... The article missed it by 30 years. The first minivan was the Volkswagon type 2 in 1950.

As a bonus While checking my dates I learned something neat about the type2(bus). It has exactly the same wheelbase as the type1(bug). It literally started out as "What if we put a cab over van body on a volkswagon"

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Re:Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch t... by nabilhat on Monday December 11, 2023 @09:42PM (#38608660)
More than that even!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minivan#Predecessors

It's definitely true that it was the VW's breakout success in the US which - on top of inspiring the Chicken Tax - cued a full lineup of competition from all of the Big 3 (two from Chevy!).

Because Wikipedia overlooks it in that section, here's the Dodge offering from that period:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_A100

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Re:Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch t... by triplesec on Tuesday December 12, 2023 @01:21AM (#38610205)
you could update the wiki too!
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Re:Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch t... by jefftk on Tuesday December 12, 2023 @10:04AM (#38613045)
Wasn't the A100 a full-size van, replaced by the B-series (Ram Van)? I wouldn't consider the Ford E-series a minivan either.
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Re:Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch t... by hedora on Monday December 11, 2023 @10:03PM (#38608821)
The Nomad II appears to be a late 1990-vintage Volvo 940 station wagon with a missing door.

That’d be more impressive if the Nomad II came before the 1970’s Volvo 240 wagons, which were basically boxier 940s / Nomad II’s.

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Re:Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch t... by remlov on Monday December 11, 2023 @09:07PM (#38608386)
Sliding door was optional on the T2 from 1964 onwards. Not standard.
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Re:Sliding Doors: The Time GM Fumbled Its Chance to Launch t... by bcx5k15 on Tuesday December 12, 2023 @08:10AM (#38611653)
> The first minivan was the Volkswagon type 2 in 1950.

The British Morris J was a little earlier if I think

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