page_title: Dodge
section_title: Vans
hierarchical_section_title: Dodge / Dodge trucks / Vans
caption_attribution_description: 2001-2004 Dodge Grand Caravan photographed in USA.
context_page_description: Dodge is an American brand of automobile manufactured by FCA US LLC, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles currently include performance cars, though for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plymouth.
  Founded as the Dodge Brothers Company machine shop by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge in the early 1900s, Dodge was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies for Detroit-based automakers and began building complete automobiles under the "Dodge Brothers" brand in 1914, predating the founding of Chrysler Corporation. The factory was located in Hamtramck, Michigan, and was called the Dodge Main factory from 1910 until its closing in January 1980. Both the Dodge brothers died from the Spanish Flu in 1920, and the company was sold by their families to Dillon, Read & Co. in 1925 before being sold to Chrysler in 1928.
  Dodge branded vehicles mainly consisted of trucks and full-sized passenger cars through the 1970s, though it made compact cars and midsize cars.
  The 1973 oil crisis and its subsequent impact on the American automobile industry led Chrysler to develop the K platform of compact to midsize cars for the 1981 model year.
context_section_description: Dodge had offered panel delivery models for many years since its founding, but their first purpose-built van model arrived for 1964 with the compact A Series. Based on the Dodge Dart platform and using its proven six-cylinder or V8 engines, the A-series was a strong competitor for both its domestic rivals (from Ford and Chevrolet/GMC) and the diminutive Volkswagen Transporter line.
  As the market evolved, Dodge realized that a bigger and stronger van line would be needed in the future, and thus the B Series was introduced for 1971, and offered both car-like comfort in its Sportsman passenger line or expansive room for gear and materials in its Tradesman cargo line. A chassis cab version was also offered for use with bigger cargo boxes or flatbeds. Like the trucks, Chrysler's dire financial straits of the late 1970s precluded any major updates for the vans for many years. Rebadged as the Ram Van and Ram Wagon for 1981, this old design carried on for 33 years with little more than cosmetic and safety updates all the way to 2003.
  The DaimlerChrysler merger of 1998 made it possible for Dodge to explore new ideas; hence the European-styled Mercedes-Benz Sprinter line of vans was brought over and given a Dodge styling treatment. Redesigned for 2006 as a 2007 model, the economical diesel-powered Sprinters have become very popular for city usage among delivery companies like FedEx and UPS in recent years. Because of their fuel efficiency major motorhome manufacturer Thor Motor Coach made several Class C and Class A Motorhomes available on the Dodge Sprinter Chassis including their popular Four Winds Siesta & Chateau Citation product lines.
  Dodge also offered a cargo version of its best-selling Caravan for many years, at first calling it the Mini Ram Van, which was a name originally applied to the short-wheelbase B Series Ram Vans, and later naming it the Caravan C/V, the C/V stood for Cargo Van. For model year 2012, the Caravan C/V was rebranded as a Ram, and was renamed the Ram C/V.
  The Grand Caravan became Dodge’s last minivan, as it was discontinued after the 2020 model year in order to introduce the Chrysler Voyager for the 2021 model year.
caption: 2001–2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
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