The early 1980s were very kind to Japanese automakers. At this time, Japan overtook the United States to become the largest producer of automobiles in the world. People were flocking to Honda and Toyota dealerships to buy their reliable and economical cars while domestic cars sat on the lot collecting dust. It seemed that Japan had the U.S market in their pocket.
However, right as Japanese carmakers were putting their feet up while the money poured in, Chrysler Motors released an innovative vehicle called the Plymouth Voyager "minivan." The van revolutionized the family car business, and therefore sold like toilet paper. This new type of vehicle caught the Japanese car business off guard. So what Japan ended up doing was cut out some windows and throw bench seats in the back of their toaster-looking cargo vans and released them as their own "minivans"
Nissan's minivan entry at this time was simply called the "Van." It's main competition was the Toyota "Van" and the Mitsubishi "Van" (see a pattern here?) Like it's fellow Japanese carmakers, Nissan rushed to transform it's cargo vans into passenger minivans to sell in the U.S. Aside from punching out holes for windows and adding rear seats, Nissan also had to place a larger engine under the hoo-...I mean...under the back seat in order to keep up with traffic. Nissan would then stuff (and by that, I mean LITERALLY shoehorn) it's 2.4L 4 cylinder engine in there. I want you to bookmark this fact.
So anyways, the Nissan Van went on sale in the U.S in 1987 and was fairly received by the public. It was very roomy vehicle despite not having much in front of the driver. It wasn't as much of a success as the Plymouth Voyager, but still attracted people looking for a spacious family van or cargo hauler.
So why the short run? Ohh! This is where it gets interesting. Remember when I said to remember the big engine/small space fact...well, lets put it this way. In the average car, whenever a car has been driving for a while, the engine heats gets hot and the radiator is what keeps it from overheating. In a Nissan Van, the 2.4L engine would get hot inside it's tiny compartment. Because Nissan didn't add a larger radiator, the engine would overheat. Take both of those factors on a hot summer day, and you'll get something like this...
Nissan would recall the "Van" four times, making adjustments such as upgrading the radiator, installing better fans, and ventilating the engine compartment to name a few. Despite all this, engine fires continued. With continued reports of fires and a fear of a lawsuit, Nissan went to drastic measures and announced a buyback of EVERY SINGLE NISSAN VAN in the United States. According to an L.A Times article dated in 1994, Nissan bought back 33,000 vans, paying customers blue book value or above and even offered credit for any new Nissan vehicle. All vans that were turned in were immediately scrapped. This whole disaster cost Nissan nearly $200 million in settlements and crushing all the vans. While most people turned in their vehicle, there have been a few still putting around, namely in the Pacific Northwest like this one and this one.
The fact that the Nissan Van is nearly extinct here in the U.S wouldn't surprise me, as I never have seen one in person. From a personal stand point, I strongly dislike minivans. But even then, I would not mind having a mid-80s rice-van (but not a Nissan "Van")
first photo credit-Tennen Gas
second photo credit-tribune.com.pk
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