In the late 1980s, a young Chrysler designer had the inspired idea of making an SUV in minivan form. He didn't get it past the concept stage.
In the late 1980s, fresh out of the industrial-design program at Pratt Institute, Michael Santoro took a job at Chrysler. He was one of a cohort of young designers, and since they had access to the corporate fleet, sometimes they'd borrow a car and drive from Detroit to New York City. One weekend, a colleague cadged a Chrysler minivan.
So when Santoro was approached in 1989 to conceptualize appeal-enhancing extensions for the minivan line, he was enthused. He sketched a slammed hot rod with monoblock wheels and blacked-out trim, a roofless beach cruiser with a washable interior, and a taxi with canary livery and huge graphics. Investment in the project increased—a full-size concept was built and began to make the rounds internally. Eventually, Chrysler showed it to dealers. "And everybody loved it. Except the Jeep dealers. They were like, 'No way. We don't need a minivan Wrangler,' " Santoro says. He hypothesized that Jeep feared the cannibalization of sales or dilution of brand equity.
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