The development of what became the Chrysler minivans began in the early 1970s, as both Ford Motor Company and the truck division of Dodge began separate projects on "garageable vans".
 Intended as a more powerful, safer-handling alternative to the Volkswagen Microbus, both companies sought to create vehicles capable as a second car.
 The Dodge project did not progress past the clay model stage; Chrysler chairman Lynn Townshend argued that if a market for such a vehicle existed, Ford and GM would have already done it.
At Ford, Lee Iaccoca and Hal Sperling developed a proposed garageable van called the Ford Carousel.
It was rejected for the same reason, that GM would have done it already if it was a viable idea.

At the end of 1977, development of Chrysler minivans restarted with four main goals, with a planned 1982 model year launch.

The ability to park in a standard-size garage
Car-like NVH
Low, flat load floor
Removable rear seats (ability to carry a 4×8 sheet of building material on the floor)
Although both the front-wheel drive K-Cars and L-body (Omni/Horizon) were being considered as donor platforms, Chrysler also allowed consideration of rear-wheel drive.
 Ultimately, the L-body was ruled out, as it was considered too light-duty for either the size of the vehicle or its planned six-cylinder engine.

In 1978, both Lee Iacocca and Hal Sperlich were fired from Ford Motor Company, joining Chrysler Corporation.
 The same year, the truck engineering division of Dodge was merged within its car counterpart of Chrysler.
 During 1978, Chrysler began research across the United States, seeking what features customers desired in a potential minivan, finding agreement in its planned goals.
 Though potential customers found concept sketches "ugly", Chrysler still found a potential market of nearly 1 million vehicles per year, with Chrysler selling 215,000 of them.

By 1979, Chrysler chose front-wheel drive for the minivan project, codenamed "T-115".
 Though the van would share its transverse engine and transmission with the K-cars, it would be based on a separate body structure.
 Approved by Lee Iaccoca at the end of 1979, the T-115 project would cost $500 million to produce, funded as part of the $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees given to Chrysler.

From is 1979 approval to the 1984 launch, the proposed design would undergo several major changes.
 Originally intended to use four sedan-style doors (similar to a station wagon), Chrysler changed to two sliding doors for the rear, claiming better parking-lot access.
The design was later changed to a single sliding door, as Chrysler wanted to market the van to commercial buyers; while engineers wanted to make the left-side door an option.
The decision to go with a single sliding door was done to reduce costs.
 During development, the configuration of the rear door was also contentious, with a liftgate winning out over a station wagon-style tailgate.
 On the exterior, in 1981, the side windows were redesigned to become flush with the body; while requiring a major redesign of components and tooling, the design change allowed for a reduction of wind noise and drag.
 To further reduce costs, a number of visible interior components were shared with the Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant, including the instrument panel, interior controls, radio, and various trim items.
Drivetrain choices proved problematic as the K-car 2.2 L four was considered inadequate and the Slant Six was unsuited for transverse FWD mounting.
The Mitsubishi 2.6 L four could however be offered as an interim engine until a V6 became available.
The development of what became the Chrysler minivans began in the early 1970s, as both Ford Motor Company and the truck division of Dodge began separate projects on "garageable vans".  Intended as a more powerful, safer-handling alternative to the Volkswagen Microbus, both companies sought to create vehicles capable as a second car.  The Dodge project did not progress past the clay model stage; Chrysler chairman Lynn Townshend argued that if a market for such a vehicle existed, Ford and GM would have already done it. At Ford, Lee Iaccoca and Hal Sperling developed a proposed garageable van called the Ford Carousel. It was rejected for the same reason, that GM would have done it already if it was a viable idea.
At the end of 1977, development of Chrysler minivans restarted with four main goals, with a planned 1982 model year launch.
The ability to park in a standard-size garage
Car-like NVH
Low, flat load floor
Removable rear seats (ability to carry a 4×8 sheet of building material on the floor)
Although both the front-wheel drive K-Cars and L-body (Omni/Horizon) were being considered as donor platforms, Chrysler also allowed consideration of rear-wheel drive.  Ultimately, the L-body was ruled out, as it was considered too light-duty for either the size of the vehicle or its planned six-cylinder engine.
In 1978, both Lee Iacocca and Hal Sperlich were fired from Ford Motor Company, joining Chrysler Corporation.  The same year, the truck engineering division of Dodge was merged within its car counterpart of Chrysler.  During 1978, Chrysler began research across the United States, seeking what features customers desired in a potential minivan, finding agreement in its planned goals.  Though potential customers found concept sketches "ugly", Chrysler still found a potential market of nearly 1 million vehicles per year, with Chrysler selling 215,000 of them.
By 1979, Chrysler chose front-wheel drive for the minivan project, codenamed "T-115".  Though the van would share its transverse engine and transmission with the K-cars, it would be based on a separate body structure.  Approved by Lee Iaccoca at the end of 1979, the T-115 project would cost $500 million to produce, funded as part of the $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees given to Chrysler.
From is 1979 approval to the 1984 launch, the proposed design would undergo several major changes.  Originally intended to use four sedan-style doors (similar to a station wagon), Chrysler changed to two sliding doors for the rear, claiming better parking-lot access. The design was later changed to a single sliding door, as Chrysler wanted to market the van to commercial buyers; while engineers wanted to make the left-side door an option. The decision to go with a single sliding door was done to reduce costs.  During development, the configuration of the rear door was also contentious, with a liftgate winning out over a station wagon-style tailgate.  On the exterior, in 1981, the side windows were redesigned to become flush with the body; while requiring a major redesign of components and tooling, the design change allowed for a reduction of wind noise and drag.  To further reduce costs, a number of visible interior components were shared with the Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant, including the instrument panel, interior controls, radio, and various trim items. Drivetrain choices proved problematic as the K-car 2.2 L four was considered inadequate and the Slant Six was unsuited for transverse FWD mounting. The Mitsubishi 2.6 L four could however be offered as an interim engine until a V6 became available.
Chrysler minivans (S)