VW Routan review: The true inventor of the minivan
A popular thought in automotive circles is that Chrysler invented the minivan with the 1983 introduction of the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.
The folks from VW would scoff at that notion. The Germans introduced the first Transporter — also known affectionately as the Bus or Microbus — in 1950. And the company has been in the van business ever since, producing a series of vans known as Transporter across the pond, but Vanagon or EuroVan in the U.S. VW still builds Transporters for the European market, so this new Routan seems a little odd.
That’s because instead of bringing the current Transporter to the U.S., VW partnered with Chrysler for a version of its new Dodge Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country.