From driveway to job site, these are Canada’s best-selling vans
There’s no fooling anyone. Minivans have fallen out of favour. The segment that produced more than 150,000 sales a year a little more than a decade ago isn’t likely to sell even half that many in 2018. In 2004, there was a good chance newborn babies were driven home from the hospital in a van because 12 per cent of the new vehicles acquired by Canadians that year were minivans. That figure now stands at a paltry four per cent.
In 2004, minivans outsold Canada’s most popular car, the Honda Civic, by roughly three to one. Today, the entire minivan segment sells roughly the same number of vehicles as Honda Canada sells Civics. And while a decade ago Canada’s three best-selling utility vehicles (Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V) produced just under 74,000 sales, Canada’s three best-selling utility vehicles in 2018 (same three) have already collected 104,063 sales — onethird of the year remains. That’s not to say vans have fallen off the sales leaderboard all together. With data supplied by the Global Automakers of Canada, here are the 10 top-selling vans in Canada through the first two-thirds of 2018. Half of them typically bear the weight of child seats; the other half are topped with ladders, laden with cargo, or headed for a job site.
10.
Chevrolet Express 2,956, up four per cent
In a full-size commercial van market controlled by Ford, the Chevrolet Express combines with the GMC Savana to earn nearly a third of the category. The smaller City Express, supplied by Nissan, produced an insignificant amount of volume for GM’s top-selling brand and has been discontinued.
9.
Ram ProMaster
3,032, down six per cent
Unique in the full-size commercial van sector because of its front-wheel-drive configuration, the Ram ProMaster didn’t shoot out of the gate when it debuted in late 2013. But ProMaster sales jumped 69 per cent between 2013 and 2017 before slipping in 2018. The decline of the ProMaster’s ProMaster City sibling has been much more pronounced.
8.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3,572, up 14 per cent
For much of the Sprinter’s history, Mercedes-Benz was consistently producing ever-higher sales volume with its biggest van. That growth spurt stalled as Mercedes-Benz introduced a competitor: the smaller Metris. Yet Sprinter sales volume remained stable. Now, as Metris volume falls in 2018, Sprinter sales are soaring toward a record high of more than 5,000 units.
7.
Kia Sedona
4,151, up six per cent
It’s an uphill battle for the Sedona, but it’s a battle Kia appears intent on fighting. There are only three major players left in the Canadian minivan market: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota, and Honda. But Kia persists, and 2018 is set to be the Sedona’s second consecutive year with more than 5,000 Canadian sales.
6.
GMC Savana 4,852, up 12 per cent Operating in partnership with the Chevrolet Express, the GMC Savana and its companion produce nearly 1,000 Canadian sales per month for General Motors. It’s sure to be lucrative business, given the longevity of the current design. GM hasn’t even made an attempt at redesigning its big vans in more than decade. There have been updates, however, and they have proven sufficient for the Savana to continue as a relatively high-volume vehicle for GMC in Canada.
5.
Chrysler Pacifica
5,136, up 22 per cent
Using an expired nameplate but an all-new design, the Chrysler Pacifica took over from the Town & Country in 2016. Although FCA’s minivan strategy south of the border resulted in high volumes early on for the Pacifica, its premium positioning compared with the defunct Town & Country did little to prod the Pacifica forward in Canada. The Pacifica owns only 10 per cent of the Canadian minivan market, but 24 per cent of the U.S. minivan market.
4.
Honda Odyssey
8,084, up two per cent
Honda launched a critically acclaimed fifth-generation Odyssey for the 2018 model year. (The Odyssey easily outsells its Honda Pilot sibling in Canada, but the opposite is true south of the border.) Odyssey volume remained on an even keel during the segment’s collapse. Over the past half-decade, Honda Canada has averaged 11,300 annual Odyssey sales, never falling below the 10,000 marker and only once rising above 12,000.
3.
Ford Transit
10,219, up 28 per cent
While leading the commercial van pack, the hugely popular Ford Transit easily outsells many consumer-directed minivans. More than 40 per cent of the full-size commercial vans sold in Canada are Transits, which can be configured to ferry a basketball team if necessary. The Transit effectively replaced the Econoline, which Ford continues to offer in chassis cab format. The smaller Transit Connect sibling likewise controls the small commercial van market but only generates about one-fifth of the bigger Transit’s volume.
2.
Toyota Sienna
10,372, down one per cent Though frequently updated, the Toyota Sienna hasn’t undergone a thorough re-engineering since the current van was launched for the 2011 model year. Like its Honda Odyssey challenger, Sienna sales have remained stable. In fact, Sienna’s recent sales have been stronger than stable: 2017 was its best year since 2004.
1.
Dodge Grand Caravan 24,933, down 24 per cent Earning a great deal of its volume from daily rental companies and fleets — exact figures aren’t made available in FCA’s sales releases — the Dodge Grand Caravan has earned a reputation as a valueoriented van. That’s not to say the Grand Caravan brings nothing to the table, as its two rows of Stow ’N’ Go seating are a worthy claim to fame. Dodge’s advertised sub-$20,000 pricing is done, however, and the Grand Caravan’s future, long questioned, is now deeper in doubt.