What do the next 15 years hold for the Chrysler minivan? With history on their side, designers will "push the styling envelope" while at the same time preserving the successful minivan formula that has made Chrysler the gold standard, according to a company executive.

"We aren't even close to exhausting our styling and packaging ideas for adding excitement and function to the minivan," said John E. Herlitz, Chrysler's vice president for design. Witness the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan ES and Autostick, with the control of a manual transmission but the convenience of an automatic.

As Chrysler's amenities expand, so too will the overall minivan market. General Motors has a redesigned fleet of front-wheel drive minivans. Toyota has made itself known in the front-wheel drive market with Sienna. Ford, Mercury, Honda and Nissan all have new products headed out the door.

Despite the growing popularity of sport utility vehicles, minivan sales are steady and average 1.2 million per year, making up 8 percent of new vehicles sold in the country.

Chrysler projects the real growth will come in the area of luxury minivans. The evidence: since 1995, Town & Country sales have grown an impressive 117 percent. In 1999, Chrysler Town & Country Limited, the ultimate minivan, makes its debut.