Well, if you consider minivans to be just that, small vans, than Fridolin is probably the first (I am not sure about those early Citroens, though), and Chrysler started to make them really popular. But, if one considers Espace a real example of the concept (Renault calls it 'monovolume car', i.e. car without distinct engine, people and luggage compartments, and has it in three sizes: Espace, Scenic and Twingo), then the distinction of the inventor goes to Fiat and its 1955 Multipla (see, for example, here). Fiat is so proud of it it called its latest monovolume contraption after it.

BTW, the main difference between two schools is that Chrysler and others consider minivans to be small, car-like apointed trucks, while Renault thinks they are cars with as large interior space per meter ot total length as possible. I thing that current (read Japanese) trend goes toward the later; these days everybody tries to produce something like Renault Scenic or Twingo.

Dragi "Bonzi" Raos
Zagreb, Croatia
#5196, waiting for TNT to admit where is my empeg

Edited by bonzi on 22/8/00 10:11 PM.