Pontiac Trans Sport

The Pontiac Trans Sport, along with its siblings the Chevrolet Lumina APV and Oldsmobile Silhouette, were a trio of minivans that débuted with radical styling in fall 1989 as 1990 models.

Background

General Motors' first attempt at producing a minivan to compete with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, the body-on-frame Chevrolet Astro and the GMC Safari failed to make a noticeable dent in Chrysler's almost total dominance of the minivan market in the late eighties, so this second attempt was made. The Pontiac Trans Sport and its sibling models, while more successful than the Astro/Safari duo in terms of market share, had significant perceived flaws that the public couldn't get past in a big way.

Original concept

First shown to the public in 1986, the Pontiac Trans Sport concept car was extremely well received. It featured futuristic styling, individually removable bucket seats with built-in stereo speakers, a gull-wing rear passenger door and extensive use of glass including a glass-paneled roof as well as many other "dream car" features.

Based on the warm reception the concept vehicle received, the Pontiac Trans Sport was approved for production, but as is often the case, the styling and features showcased on the concept did not make the translation to the mass-produced edition. The gullwing door was deemed too expensive to produce and would probably have impacted overhead garage doors in suburban garages. The glass roof was too heavy and too expensive, so the resultant production vehicle made-do with high-gloss black painted panels for the roof to suggest the glass canopy the concept sported.

Chevrolet and Oldsmobile were also given production vehicles based on the Trans Sport in order to cover the widest possible range of potential customers. It was intended that the Lumina APV would be the value-priced version, The Pontiac Trans Sport would net the more sport- and style-oriented buyers, and the Oldsmobile Silhouette would be the minivan for the premium market.