According to the Journal, one of the dealers said, “A man van won’t generate huge sales, but it’s one of those vehicles that gets people talking and heads turning.”

So what’s the man van going to look like? Well, rather like the Dodge Grand Caravan R/T concept displayed at the 2008 SEMA show, this would have exterior and interior details that would help to differentiate dad’s minivan from mom’s. Examples include bespoke stitching on the seats and steering wheel, but the body trim has yet to be finalized.

This announcement closely follows news of two other minivans which are being pushed as family-friendly: Honda’s 2011 Odyssey, which features 15 cup holders and an integrated trash receptacle, and Toyota’s 2011 Sienna, which is being marketed with a “Mommy Like” commercial campaign.

The 2009 still has a Hemi engine, but they’ve taken it back to the bench and added fuel saving variable valve timing for peak efficiency. Similar modifications to the cylinder cutoff system open up the rpm range. Better compression, better air and fuel flow — all equal better performance. (And they worked on the aerodynamics.) As opposed to the 2008s, you’re looking a 4% better fuel economy. No mpg estimates released, but Chrysler did point to improved horsepower up to 390 and a zero to sixty leap in six seconds.

At the same time the company confirmed a hybrid of the Ram with a two-mode gasoline-electric power train. That one is going for a 40 percent gain in fuel economy in town and a 25 percent improvement on the highway. Now those are numbers headed in the right direction. As for right now, in 2008, the Ram is getting 13 mpg in town and 19 on the highway — numbers that are just not going to cut it in the new reality of high fuel costs and deep set environmental concerns.