Chrysler Town & Country Leads the Way in the 'Year of the Minivan' as the Top-selling Minivan in 2010 in the United States

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• Chrysler Town & Country minivan, the original luxury minivan, is the best-selling minivan in the United States for 2010
• Building on that momentum and not resting on its laurels, Chrysler recently introduced a new Town & Country minivan for 2011
  • Virtually every customer touch point was redesigned or re-engineered for the 2011 model year. From a suspension redesign that delivers an exhilarating driving performance, to a new powertrain with best-in-class horsepower, to the new, exquisitely-crafted interior cabin with clever features a family appreciates, to the beautifully sleek new exterior design, thoughtful innovation was engineered in every aspect of the new Town & Country
  • The new 2011 Chrysler Town & Country was designed with more than 40 standard safety and technology features, including SafetyTec™, which provides industry-leading features including ParkView® rear backup camera, Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection

2010 sales are in and the Chrysler Town & Country leads the way, with more sales in the United States than any other minivan in 2010, with 112,275 Town & Country minivans sold, a 33 percent increase compared with 2009. In addition, the Chrysler Town & Country minivan led Chrysler Brand sales for 2010, and was the second best-selling vehicle for the entire company.

In 2010, minivan segment sales increased 11 percent compared with 2009, topping out at 460,154 minivans sold in the United States. In addition, every major manufacturer in the minivan segment introduced an all-new or significantly refreshed minivan for 2011, further reinforcing the increased focus and interest in the minivan segment.

"We are very proud of the Chrysler Town & Country, and its industry leading customer loyalty," said Olivier Francois, CEO–Chrysler Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "The original Chrysler Town & Country, the first luxury minivan, debuted in 1989. Seventy-five minivan-first innovations and more than 13 million minivan sales later, the company still leads the way with the best, most innovative vehicle to move people and things, without sacrificing style."

The Chrysler Town & Country minivan was introduced in 1989 as the first "luxury" minivan, setting the gold standard for the segment. The company has nurtured the heritage of the Town & Country minivan for more than 20 years, never resting on its laurels and continually evolving the minivan and the segment, with innovative features consumers value.

For 2011, the company introduced a new Town & Country minivan, with more style, convenience, functionality and safety than ever before. The 2011 Town & Country minivan has more than 40 standard safety features, including SafetyTec. The SafetyTec package provides customers peace of mind with industry-leading safety features including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross path detection, ParkSense® rear park assist, ParkView® rear back up camera, rain sensing wipers and Smart Beam headlamps. Additional standard safety features include supplemental all-row side curtain air bags, front-seat-mounted driver and passenger air bags, electronic stability control (ESC) with electronic traction control and brake assist, power-adjustable pedals and power sliding doors with obstacle detection.

The Chrysler Town & Country minivan has been redesigned for 2011 with a sleek, elegant exterior design, including the new "face of Chrysler," the new Chrysler brand grille and winged badge. A new world-class interior is beautifully crafted with high-quality materials that are soft to the touch, and offers tech-savvy entertainment features and smart storage and seating options, including new, more comfortable, exclusive Stow 'n Go® seating with a one-touch fold-down function.

The Uconnect® suite of technologies available with the Town & Country offer touchscreen and voice command for convenient control of multiple media sources and outputs, navigation and handsfree phone. Available Uconnect Web from Mopar® transforms the Town & Country into a "hot spot" to deliver the internet directly to the minivan for instant access to web sites, email and more. An available Dual DVD entertainment system, SIRIUS satellite radio, SIRIUS Travel Link and exclusive SIRIUS Backseat TV™ make the Chrysler Town & Country the ultimate family vehicle.

The new Chrysler Town & Country minivan suspension receives major upgrades for the 2011 model year resulting in drivers enjoying an agile, confident, exhilarating driving experience. Almost every system in the suspension was re-engineered, retuned or redesigned by Chrysler engineers, with an emphasis on improving the driver's experience during routine handling and emergency maneuvers, making the ride more comfortable, improving braking and creating a quieter cabin.

For 2011, a new powertrain delivers best-in-class horsepower without sacrificing fuel efficiency. The new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine produces 283 horsepower, or 86 more horsepower than the outgoing 3.8-liter V-6 engine, and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. The Pentastar V-6 is mated to the 62TE six-speed automatic transmission. Even with the added horsepower, the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country is rated at an estimated 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. A new fuel economizer mode helps the driver maximize fuel efficiency and new premium, lower-rolling resistance tires and reductions in brake caliper and rear bearing drag make great fuel economy possible. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine simplifies vehicle complexity by replacing three V-6 engines that were available in the outgoing model lineup, the 3.3-liter V-6, the 3.8-liter V-6 and the 4.0-liter V-6.

With exquisite styling, a beautifully crafted interior, more than 40 standard safety and technology features, smart, cutting-edge entertainment features and clever seating and storage options, the new Chrysler Town & Country delivers on the Chrysler promise to provide every owner a vehicle that satisfies their dreams.

The new 2011 Chrysler Town & Country is available in U.S. showrooms now.

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SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC