Family Life

01.05.11 | Sarah Harnisch

 Minivans are making a comeback! Car companies are trying to shake off the idea that minivans are uncool. They have been running ads, like Toyota's rapping "Swagger Wagon" ad-- that jive with parents who want to be cool. It's not just Toyota. Honda's Odyssey has run commercials with metal rockers. Ford stopped making minivans in 2006, but got back into the game this year with the C-max-- a 7-passenger vehicle that has high tech features like sensors that allow drivers to open the rear liftgate by waving a leg under the bumper. And Chrysler, which first invented minivans in 1983, plans to offered a high-powered version of its 2011 Dodge Caravan aimed at fathers. It's nicknamed the decked out vehicle its man van. The ads must be working: automakers sold 450-thousand minivans last year.