Press Kit: 2008 Chrysler and Dodge Minivans (Launch)

Auburn Hills, Mich. August 5, 2007 - As the originator of the luxury minivan segment in 1989, Chrysler has offered families a minivan with upscale amenities for 18 years. The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country continues the tradition of elegant style, unmatched comfort and versatility, attention to detail and the safety and security features that families expect.

“We listen to how people use their minivans, and the challenge to ourselves is to imagine the possibilities we can offer the 21st century family,” said David Rooney, Director – Chrysler Marketing. “It really is exciting to push the envelope and set new standards for entertainment, technology and safety features with the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country minivan.”

The minivan segment is a vibrant part of the new vehicle market, averaging 1.1 million units sold since 1993. Roughly one of every 15 new vehicles sold in the U.S. is a minivan and that is expected to stay stable or grow slightly in the near future.

The Chrysler Town & Country has the heritage of being the original luxury minivan. Introduced in 1989, as a 1990 model, the Chrysler Town & Country broke new ground with luxurious accommodations and features typically not found on a minivan at that time.

The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country offers contemporary, tailored styling, abundant standard safety features, unmatched versatility and purposeful technology in an elegant package that doesn’t sacrifice value or performance. The new Chrysler Town & Country is engineered beautifully and carries on the heritage of the original luxury minivan.

“The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country minivan lets customers share the good life with family and friends,” said Rooney. “Beautifully engineered with luxury amenities, elegant style and unmatched versatility, it’s the best choice for minivan customers who don’t want to compromise style or their active lifestyle.”

The primary 2008 Chrysler Town & Country target customer in the United States is a married couple between the ages of 35 and 45 with two or more children older than six years of age at home. The median household income is $80,000, and 65 percent are college graduates.

The secondary customers are “empty nesters” between the ages of 55 and 65 who do not have children living at home. The median household income for this target customer is $60,000 per year. Approximately 40 percent are college graduates.

Model Lineup

The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country is available in three models: Chrysler Town & Country LX, Chrysler Town & Country Touring and Chrysler Town & Country Limited.

The Chrysler Town & Country LX is powered by a 3.3-liter V-6 engine that produces 175 hp (131 kW) and 205 lb.-ft. (278 N•m) of torque and is mated to a four-speed transaxle. The 3.3-liter engine is a flex-fuel engine capable of running on E85, a renewable fuel. Standard features included on the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country LX include advanced multistage driver air bag and front-passenger low-risk deployment air bag; supplemental all-row side-curtain air bags with added rollover protection; Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with brake assist and traction control; air conditioning with manual temperature control; 160 amp alternator; passenger assist handles located on the A-pillar, B-pillar and headliner above the sliding passenger doors; vanity mirror; 600 amp maintenance-free battery; four-wheel anti-lock brakes with vented front and solid rear discs; brake-park interlock; LATCH child seat anchor system; analog clock; overhead console that includes a rearview interior conversation mirror with sunglass holder; standard front-row-center floor console with four removable, dishwasher-safe cup holders; rear window defroster; black door handles; power door locks; dual manual-sliding doors; sunscreen glass; standard door trim panel with armrest, two map pockets, chrome interior door handles and first- and second-row bottle holders; dual glove boxes; third-row rear seatback grocery bag hooks; halogen quad headlamps with headlamp-off time delay; manual liftgate with single floodlamp; rear dome light located between the second and third rows; front courtesy map light; manual, four-gauge instrument cluster display; fold-away exterior mirrors; body color bodyside molding; 12-volt power outlets in the instrument panel and rear quarter trim; AM/FM/CD/MP3 radio with four-speaker sound system; Sentry Key® remote, keyless, illuminated entry with anti-theft engine immobilizer; YES Essentials® anti-stain, anti-odor, anti-static fabric seats; removable second-row two-passenger bench seat and third-row 60/40 split bench seat that folds into the floor; second-row, in-floor covered storage bins; DoorAlert; power rack-and-pinion steering; manual tilt steering column; tip start; FOB Integrated Key (FOBIK); tire pressure monitoring system; 16-inch steel wheels; “Chrysler Town & Country LX” badging; power front windows with driver-side one-touch down; intermittent front and rear wipers and 20-gallon fuel tank.

In addition to the standard equipment on the Chrysler Town & Country LX, available equipment includes Stow ‘n Go® seating and storage system; three-zone manual temperature control; power sliding driver-side and passenger doors; power liftgate; remote start system; engine block heater; Swivel ‘n Go™ seat system; YES Essentials anti-stain, anti-odor, anti-static floor mats; foldaway power, heated black exterior mirrors; AM/FM/DVD/CD/HDD/MP3 MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment system; SIRIUS Satellite Radio; roof rack; driver manual lumbar support; eight-way power driver seat; two integrated child safety seats in second-row passenger bench seat; leather-wrapped shift knob; six-speaker sound system; power front one-touch down windows, power second-row windows and power third-row quarter vent windows.

Available packages on the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country LX include: Entertainment Group #1 which includes AM/FM/CD/DVD/MP3 MyGIG Entertainment system, six speakers, a second-row overhead eight-inch video screen, two wireless headphones, video remote control, 115-volt power outlet and SIRIUS Satellite Radio; Power and Remote Entry Group which includes manual driver seat lumbar adjust, power eight-way driver seat, dual-power sliding doors, power liftgate, power second-row windows, power third-row quarter vent windows and power mirrors; Swivel ‘n Go seat system which features removable second-row quad seats that swivel 180 degrees to face the third-row 60/40 split bench seat that folds into the floor and a removable table which stows in the second-row in-floor covered storage bins when not in use; Trailer Tow Prep Group which includes engine oil cooling, heavy-duty transmission oil cooling, heavy-duty engine cooling, heavy-duty radiator, trailer tow wiring harness and load-leveling and height-control suspension and the Special Appearance Group which includes leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel, roof rack, steering wheel-mounted audio controls and 16-inch aluminum wheels.

The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country Touring model is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 engine that produces 197 hp (147 kW) and 230 lb.-ft. (312 N•m) of torque and is mated to a new, minivan-first six-speed transaxle. In addition to the standard equipment featured on the Chrysler Town & Country LX model, the Chrysler Town & Country Touring standard features include the Stow ‘n Go seating and storage system; “Chrysler Town & Country Touring” badging; premium door trim panel with map pocket and LED map lights; power sliding driver-side and passenger doors; power liftgate; HomeLink® universal transceiver; rear, movable courtesy/reading lamps; door courtesy lamp; removable, rechargeable LED flashlight; LED light located overhead that illuminates the front center cup holder and console; illuminated front door storage; fog lamps; automatic headlamps; illuminated visor vanity; foldaway, power-heated body color exterior mirrors; bright belt molding; power adjustable pedals; bright grille surround with accent-color grille texture and bright horizontal bars; 115-volt auxiliary power outlet located on the front of the driver-side C-pillar trim panel; roof rack; eight-way power driver seat; leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel; steering wheel-mounted audio controls; six-speaker sound system and 16-inch aluminum wheels.

In addition to the standard equipment on the Chrysler Town & Country Touring model, available equipment includes Swivel ‘n Go seat system; three-zone automatic temperature control; remote start; foldaway, power-heated chrome mirrors that include supplemental signals and driver-side memory; auto-dimming exterior driver side mirror; Parksense® rear back-up assist system; ParkView® rear back-up camera; SIRIUS Satellite Radio; SIRIUS Backseat TV satellite TV with three channels of family programming including Disney Channel, Nickelodeon Mobile and Cartoon Network Mobile; heated first- and second-row seats (cloth or leather); second- and third-row retractable sunshades; premium sound system which includes ten speakers with a minivan-first subwoofer and 506-watt amplifier; premium removable front center console that slides rearward 21 inches and offers four cup holders, a 12-volt power outlet and multiple storage areas; premium tire pressure monitoring system with Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC); integrated child booster seat (late availability); power sunroof; one-touch power folding third-row seat and 17-inch aluminum wheels.

The following packages are also available on the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country Touring: Entertainment Group #2 which includes second- and third-row overhead eight-inch video screens, video remote control, MyGIG Entertainment system featuring an AM/FM/CD/DVD/HDD/MP3 radio with touch screen, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, two two-channel wireless headphones, and CD/DVD remote player; Family Value Group which includes a premium removable front center console that slides rearward 21 inches and offers four cup holders, a 12-volt power outlet and multiple storage areas and second- and third-row retractable sunshades; Trailer Tow Prep Group which includes engine oil cooling, heavy-duty transmission oil cooling, heavy-duty engine cooling, heavy-duty radiator, trailer tow wiring harness and load-leveling and height-control suspension; Swivel ‘n Go seating group which includes removable second-row quad seats that swivel 180 degrees to face the third-row 60/40 split bench seat that folds into the floor and a removable table which stows in the second-row in-floor covered storage bins when not in use and Surround Sound Group which features a 10-speaker surround sound system with a 506-watt amplifier.

The 2008 Chrysler Town & Country Limited model is powered by a new 4.0-liter V-6 engine that produces 251 hp (189 kW) and 259 lb.-ft. (350 N•m) of torque and is mated to a new, minivan-first six-speed transaxle. In addition to the standard equipment featured on the Chrysler Town & Country Touring model, The Chrysler Town & Country Limited standard features include “Chrysler Town & Country Limited” badging; three-zone automatic temperature control; bright door handles; luxury front door trim panel which includes armrest, map pocket, bin on driver door, chrome door handle and woodgrain appliqué in first and second rows; luxury front- and second-row floor mats; High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps; auto-dimming rearview mirror; power, foldaway, heated multifunction chrome mirrors with supplemental side signals and driver-side memory; bright bodyside molding; ParkSense rear back-up assist system, AM/FM/CD/DVD/HDD/MP3 MyGIG Multimedia Entertainment system, ParkView rear back-up camera and SIRIUS Satellite Radio; remote start system; leather-trimmed first- and second-row seats with Preferred Suede® Microfiber accents; security alarm; premium sound system which includes ten speakers with a minivan-first subwoofer and 506-watt amplifier; premium removable front center console that slides rearward 21 inches and offers four cup holders, a 12-volt power outlet and multiple storage areas; premium tire pressure monitoring system with EVIC and 17-inch chrome-clad wheels.

In addition to the standard equipment available on the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country Limited, the following features are also available: one-touch power folding third-row seat, engine block heater, integrated child booster seat (late availability), power sunroof, navigation and UConnect® Hands-free Communication system that is Bluetooth® compatible.

The following packages are available on the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country: the Swivel ‘n Go seat system which features removable second-row quad seats that swivel 180 degrees to face the third-row 60/40 split bench seat and a removable table which stows in the second-row in-floor covered storage bins when not in use; Entertainment Group #3 which includes second- and third-row overhead eight-inch video screens with two two-channel wireless headphones, video remote control, remote CD/DVD player and SIRIUS Backseat TV satellite TV with three channels of family programming and Trailer Tow Prep Group which includes engine oil cooling, heavy-duty transmission oil cooling, heavy-duty engine cooling, heavy-duty radiator, trailer tow wiring harness and load-leveling and height-control suspension.