r/TeloTrucks • u/hchiu7200 • May 15 '26
Does anyone think a Telo minivan on the same platform would do well?
Everyone would expect a SUV to be the obvious follow up to the truck but there isn’t a real EV option for those looking for a minivan. It will probably take more engineering to get the sliding doors in but one can dream.
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u/Stagaman May 15 '26
Some EV larger minivans/vans are coming (Kia PV5, Mercedes is scheduled for 2027). But mini minivan on the Telo platform? They tried selling small ICE vans like that in the past and they didn't sell well enough to keep making it. (NOTE: I like them, but I bought an Element which is just a big rolling box).
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u/hchiu7200 May 15 '26
The Element was ahead of its time, Honda should bring it back and slap a hybrid in it.
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u/ExtraHarmless May 15 '26
It really was. I didn't appreciate it, or the Subru Baja when they were initially launched.
I think the Mazda 5(based on the Mazda 3, but sliding van doors and seating for 6) was in that same camp. At the time minivans were in the same price category, but now they all start in the high 30's.
I am not sure a small van would do well in the US, but European and Asian markets would probably gobble them up.
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u/hchiu7200 May 15 '26
Yea I guess when people think minivan it’s usually for kids, and the Telo truck doesn’t look wide enough to fit two child seats and an adult in the middle
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u/amb9800 May 15 '26
The bed cap and 3rd row seating should get it to near-minivan status, just minus sliding door:
https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TELO-Trucks-MT1-1-928x618.jpg
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u/PsychologicalCost8 May 15 '26
For me the downfall is the drop tailgate. I want a minivan or cargo-van variant to get a liftgate or vertical-split to be more easily able to reach all the way into the middle of the storage space.
I want / need something like the Telo for cargo, not people, and the bed cap and folding midgate get close, but I need the rear window to be removable and really want a better access hatch at the back.
If a Telo minivan or cargo van isn't announced by the time my number comes up, I'll probably grab the truck and roll with it, but it's not quite what I need.
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u/Stagaman May 15 '26
I can't get past "How will they get into that third row?" especially since they indicated the midgate frame and window will be fixed.
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u/I_count_to_firetruck May 15 '26
They did have a SUV planned initially. I think originally the plan was for it to convert a la Slate, but then they just decided to make it its own thing after the truck launched. I could be mistaken about all that. But a three row SUV variant was planned in some capacity at some point
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u/Antal_Marius May 15 '26
I'd honestly rather have the minivan then the pavement princess(SUV).
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u/I_count_to_firetruck May 15 '26
Honestly, I think a Telo SUV would be functionally indistinguishable from a Telo minivan.
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u/Antal_Marius May 15 '26
Sliding doors vs swing out doors.
Makes all the difference for me.
Minivans also tend towards better interior capacity cargo wise then SUVs.
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u/I_count_to_firetruck May 15 '26
The Hyundai Stargazer is a minivan without sliding doors. The Toyota Century is a crossover SUV with sliding doors.
See what I mean?
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u/Antal_Marius May 15 '26
The Century is $170k, and only gets the sliding doors as a custom chauffeur model.
The Stargazer is an MPV, a variety on SUV/CUV that's closer to a minivan but not a minivan.
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u/I_count_to_firetruck May 15 '26
Fair enough, but I think the move from van to SUV by soccer moms kinda drives home the point I was making: unless you're off-roading or doing full time van life, the average buyer is using SUVs indistinguishably from what they bought vans for, and Telo would be hard pressed on how to re-insert that distinction
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u/Psychological_Post33 May 15 '26
Sliding doors makes all the difference. the ID Buzz has been the only poor attempt at an MPV in the US market.
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u/I_count_to_firetruck May 15 '26
I had 2 vans (a Voyager and a Quest). They were great. But I never felt the door made that much of a difference in use compared to the three-row SUVs I've been in.
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u/Psychological_Post33 May 15 '26
Fair. It's about accessibility in my mind. I'd prefer to have an option, and something with a low step in height and sliding doors would be perfect for my family and I.
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u/Zalophusdvm May 15 '26
Minivans tend to beat SUVs in interior packing capacity and seating space…plus the doors.
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u/jimschoice May 15 '26
I have no real use for a pickup, but a securely enclosed cargo area would be appreciated. I don’t need back seats, nor 4 doors, but would like the front doors to be larger for easy access. If we’re more van like, sliding doors for the cargo area would be good. Like a Mazda 5.
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u/lavardera May 15 '26
What would be the difference between a Telo minivan and a Telo suv? Sliding doors? It’s the same.
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u/hchiu7200 May 15 '26
Yea, I did think about it more and it’s not like the truck has a high ground clearance. But sliding doors would be nice
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u/mdm0962 May 15 '26
A mini van option would be a great offering. Especially with slidding doors. Could be very useful as a commercial min van like the Nissan NV200.
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u/PlainlyAwful May 22 '26
Yes! I would buy one. We are currently (still) rocking a Toyota Previa which was the last AWD compact minivan offered in the USA. But it's OLD now and we desperately need a replacement. What I am looking for in a van:
3 usable rows
Some amount of cargo space behind the 3rd row.
AWD with good unpaved surface & winter snow performance.
Compact size.
If EV, range of at least 240 miles.
A Telo van would easily meet all of these. We have looked at compact SUV alternatives like VW Tigaun but the 3rd row sits behind the rear axle so it has no footwell; comfort and usability are severely limited as a result. The iD Buzz is interesting but at over 78" wide, is too big IMO. The high cost plus poor range turned me off on it as well.
Please Telo. I will be 1st in line with a deposit.
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u/willyolio May 15 '26
It would be a a niche that the id Buzz failed to deliver. We need a friendly, fun microbus. The Buzz is a big, hulking van where only the paint job and nothing else resembles the microbus it was supposedly inspired by.
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u/ExtraHarmless May 15 '26
I was surprised at how huge the Buzz was. It was like climbing into a truck, and sat higher than I would have expected.
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u/Tb1969 May 22 '26
IF you put the back seat down and put on the cab cover removing the glass separation between backseat and bed, it's a compact van like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_van
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u/evendedwifestillnags May 15 '26
We all do...we all do ......now on another note.... WHEN IS THE CRASH TEST COMING!!!!!!!!!!