Chevy Traverse replaces minivan

GM introduces seven-seat crossover at Chicago Auto Show as alternative for family-oriented consumers.

Sharon Terlep and Eric Morath / The Detroit News

CHICAGO — General Motors Corp. may have fled the minivan business, but the automaker thinks it can win back legions of coveted suburbanites with a new family hauler from Chevrolet.

The Chevy Traverse crossover, slated to hit showrooms this fall, is the automaker’s highest-profile, family-focused offering in years. The wagon-like ride hits the market as other automakers here touted revamped minivans as still the answer for a utilitarian three-row vehicle.

It’s GM’s attempt to win some credibility from the soccer-mom crowd, a group of consumers who demand space, style and usefulness all packed into a safe and affordable vehicle.

Rolling out the Traverse on Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show, GM was clear in its ambitions: The Traverse’s top line executive, Sue Wilson, drove the vehicle on stage with her husband and three kids.

"You can have all the greatest features in the world, but if you’re plowing down the road in a vehicle that looks like a box, how good is that?" said Wilson, jabbing traditional minivans.

Wilson’s kids gushed about how the Traverse provides enough space for sports equipment but isn’t too embarrassing to be seen in; her husband talked about its safety features.

The Traverse will be GM’s fourth seven-passenger crossover in less than two years. It shares a platform with the well-received Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, but will likely be priced lower than its predecessors.

"Depending on the pricing and how it looks at the end, it may be a viable force for GM," said Jesse Toprak, chief economist for Edmunds.com. "It’s very tough competition and Toyota and Honda dominate the market. You try to get in there and try to capture the segment with what’s not quite a minivan."

Competition for the family crowd was evident in Chicago.

Chrysler LLC, more deeply entrenched in the minivan business than crosstown rivals, hopes to get owners of the Chrysler Pacifica, a full-sized crossover that the company killed last year, to migrate to the Town & Country minivan, said Steven Landry, executive vice president for North American sales.

Chrysler has stuck with minivans even as its domestic competitors canceled their programs.

Additional utility and features such as swivel seating can draw buyers back to the minivan market, he said.

"We have customers that will swivel the seats to watch their kid’s soccer game when it’s raining," he said. "That’s not the main intent of the feature, but its something a minivan can do."

Landry said customers who prefer the crossover look should find their niche in the Dodge Journey — a mid-sized crossover that debuts this year. The Journey, unlike most others in that segment, has a flip-up third row of seats.

Seven-passenger crossovers are today’s family vehicle, said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

"There is a coolness factor," he said. "There are certain families that would definitely not own a minivan."