The following decisive step in a minivan direction the French space firm Matra which had also automobile division (a part of concern PSA), created in 1980 has made a prototype of the one-volume car with a plastic body.
However, it has not interested company management Peugeot-Citroyon and after corresponding operational development, concern Renault which has presented on the Parisian motor show of 1984 7-seater minivan Renault Espace, become by the ancestor of all modern European minivans has become interested in the project.
The success of a minivan was so is great that it even prepared to exhaust under the licence at company American Motors Corp factories. (AMC), and in first ten years after debut Espace remained actually a monopolist in the given segment of the European market.
On other party of ocean the idea of a minivan has had even more serious development. In connection with sharp growth of cost of oil, before concerns of the Big three there was a question on release of more economic alternative popular family minivan, i.e. to full-size versatile persons with a three-row lay-out of interior.
And, as a rule, an input and an exit from a back row of seats turned against a course, was through a rear rotary door that was not absolutely convenient, especially by transportation children and older persons. Besides fuel consumption at such rear-wheel cars equipped with gluttonous multiliter engines was rather great (25-30 l/100 of km).
The first the problem was solved by company Chrysler which has exhausted in 1983 on the market family executed on the basis of front-wheel platform Т115 of the first high-grade family minivans, engaging three model: Dodge Voyager, Plimouth Caravan and Chrysler Town&Country.
A year later to example Chrysler competitors from GM have followed, minivans-twins Chevrolet Astro which have offered on the market and GMC Safari, executed with more conservative rear-wheel configuration, and in half a year has been presented Ford Aerospace.
Then German and Japanese manufacturers have tried to solve a problem "with small losses", having thrown out on the market improved on equipment and more high-speed versions all the same 7-9 minivan, accordingly, Volkswagen Caravelle (T3), Toyota Model F / Toyo Ace, etc.
Experts noticed that though and became better thanks to occurrence of easier engines, and also variants with all-wheel drive transmission, minivans nevertheless it is more safe and more convenient, so such scheme further has won, and models of carload configuration could be kept only in a segment of microbuses.