Compact van
Encyclopedia
- For compact minivanMinivanMinivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
s, see Compact MPVCompact MPVA compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments...
.
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
characterized by a flat front design, mechanicals based on a compact car
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
, an engine placed either at the rear or between and behind the front seats and were roughly the same size as the VW Bus
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or Kombi informally as Bus or Camper , was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 , it was given the factory...
. Popular in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the early 1960s, they were replaced by full-size vans at the end of the decade. These large vans used body-on-frame
Body-on-frame
Body-on-frame is an automobile construction method. Mounting a separate body to a rigid frame that supports the drivetrain was the original method of building automobiles, and its use continues to this day. The original frames were made of wood , but steel ladder frames became common in the 1930s...
construction and featured front engines under a short hood.
Japanese vans
The flat-front configuration is also used for JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese vans, and the format remains popular in Japan and Southeast Asia to this day. Those that comply with Kei car
Kei car
Kei cars, K-cars, or , are a Japanese category of small vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to comply with Japanese government tax and insurance regulations, and in most rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is...
regulations are known as microvan
Microvan
A microvan is a van that fits into Japanese kei car classification or similar. In certain regions, these models are inexpensive and widely used for small business because of tax and insurance benefits; for example, in Japan they are exempted from a certification that there is adequate parking...
s. They were also later supplemented by minivan
Minivan
Minivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
s. In these markets the compact vans often survive as combined commercial passenger and goods vehicles. Due to their resemblance to a loaf of bread they are colloquially known as "bread cars".
Compact vans in media
The main characters of the Scooby Doo cartoon seriesCartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
drove a compact van called the "Mystery Machine".
Examples
- Dodge A100Dodge A100The A100 line was a model range of American compact vans and trucks manufactured and marketed from 1964–1970 by Chrysler Corporation for the Dodge brand in the United States and the Fargo brand in Canada....
- First generation Ford E-SeriesFord E-SeriesThe Ford E-Series, formerly known as the Econoline or Club Wagon, is a line of full-size vans and truck chassis from the Ford Motor Company. The E-Series is related to the Ford F-Series line of pickup trucks. The line was introduced in 1961 as a compact van and its descendants are still produced...
- General Motors van, the original Chevy van and Greenbrier
- Toyota HiAceToyota HiaceThe Toyota HiAce is a motor vehicle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. First launched in 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of configurations, including minivan and minibus, van, pick-up, taxi, and ambulance....
- Nissan CaravanNissan CaravanThe Nissan Caravan is a van designed by Nissan for use as a fleet vehicle or cargo van. Outside Japan the car was sold as either Nissan Urvan, King Van, or Homy...
- Daihatsu HijetDaihatsu HijetThe Daihatsu Hijet is a microvan and pickup truck produced by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu. Despite the similarities between the Hijet name and Toyota's naming scheme for its trucks and vans , the name "Hijet" has been in use for Daihatsu's Kei trucks and vans since 1960, over two decades before...