The big reveal from Chrysler today at the Detroit Auto Show was supposed to be the 2013 Dodge Dart, but sitting in a booth at the far end of the display was this shiny jellybean. They're calling it the Chrysler 700C. We're calling it Chrysler's next big minivan.
Once upon at time the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan rescued a struggling Chrysler from bankruptcy and created a brand new segment. Now the minivan is largely dead and Chrysler's owned by Fiat.
The 700C is a more futuristic, more crossover-ish large Chrysler. An ideal replacement for the truck-based minivan falling out of fashion that retains the category's most popular feature: the sliding doors.
There almost appears to be two distinct pods for the passengers and the drivers, separated by an extremely raked B-pillar that wraps around into the roof ahead of the sliding doors.
Details of the new vehicle are scarce-to-non-existant because Chrysler didn't hold a press conference or even send out a press release. Maybe they're smart. Now we'll all rush to write about a minivan.