Van

Word origin and usage

Van meaning a type of vehicle arose as a contraction of the word caravan. The earliest records of a van as a vehicle in English are in the mid-19th century, meaning a covered wagon for transporting goods; the earliest reported record of such was in 1829. The word caravan with the same meaning has been used since the 1670s. A caravan, meaning one wagon, had arisen as an extension, or corruption, of a caravan meaning a convoy of multiple wagons.

The word van has slightly different, but overlapping, meanings in different forms of English. While the word now applies everywhere to boxy cargo vans, other applications are found to a greater or lesser extent in different English-speaking countries; some examples follow:

Australia

In Australian English, the term van is commonly used to describe a minivan, a passenger minibus, or an Australian panel van as manufactured by companies such as Holden and Ford at various times.

A full-size van used for commercial purposes is also known as a "van" in Australia; however, a passenger vehicle with more than seven or eight seats is more likely to be called a "minibus".

The term van can also sometimes be used interchangeably with what Australians usually call a "caravan", which in the U.S. is referred to as a "travel trailer".

The British term people mover is also used in Australian English to describe a passenger van. The American usage of "van" which describes a cargo box trailer or semi-trailer is used rarely, if ever, in Australia.

India

In India, the van is one of the most common modes of transportation and is often used for taking children to and from schools, usually when parents, especially working parents, are too busy to pick their children up from school or when school buses are full and unable to accommodate additional children. Vans are also used for commercial purposes and office cabs. Some of the popular vans include Maruti Suzuki Omni and the Maruti Suzuki Eeco.

Japan

Early Japanese vans include the Kurogane Baby, Mazda Bongo, and the Toyota LiteAce. Japanese manufacturers also produced many vans based on the American flat nose design, but also minivans which for the American market have generally evolved to the long-wheelbase front-wheel drive form. The Nissan Prairie and Mitsubishi Chariot as well as microvans that fulfill kei car regulations, are popular for small businesses. The term is also used to describe full-fledged station wagons (passenger car front sheet metal, flat-folding back seats, windows all around) and even hatchbacks with basic trim packages intended for commercial use. These are referred to as "light vans" (Japanese: ライトバン), with "light" referring to the glazing rather than the weight of the vehicle.

United Kingdom

In British English, the word van refers to vehicles that carry goods only, either on roads or on rails. What would be called a "minivan" in American English is called a "people-carrier", "MPV" or multi-purpose vehicle, and larger passenger vehicles are called "minibuses". The Telegraph newspaper introduced the idea of the "White Van Man", a typical working-class man or small business owner who would have a white Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, or similar panel van. Today the phrase "man and van" or "man with a van" refers to light removal firms normally operated by a sole business owner transporting anything from the contents of a whole house to just a few boxes. The word "van" also refers to railway covered goods wagons, called "boxcars" in the United States.

United States

In the United States, a van can also refer to a box-shaped trailer or semi-trailer used to carry goods. In this case, there is a differentiation between a "dry van", used to carry most goods, and a refrigerated van, or "reefer", used for cold goods. A railway car used to carry baggage is also called a "van".

A vehicle referred to in the US as a "full-size van" is usually a large, boxy vehicle that has a platform and powertrain similar to their light truck counterparts. These vans may be sold with the space behind the front seats empty for transporting goods (cargo van), furnished for passenger use by either the manufacturer (wagon), or another company for more personal comforts (conversion van). Full-size vans often have short hoods, with the engine placed under the passenger cabin.

A cutaway van chassis is a variation of the full-size van that was developed for use by second stage manufacturers. Such a unit has a van front end and driver controls in a cab body that extends to a point behind the front seats, where the rest of the van body is cut off (leading to the terminology "cutaway"). From that point aft, only the chassis frame rails and running gear extend to the rear when the unit is shipped as an "incomplete vehicle". A second-stage manufacturer, commonly known as a bodybuilder, will complete the vehicle for uses such as recreational vehicles, small school buses, minibusses, type III ambulances, and delivery trucks. A large proportion of cutaway van chassis are equipped with dual rear wheels. Second-stage manufacturers sometimes add third weight-bearing single wheel "tag axles" for their larger minibus models.

The term van in the US may also refer to a minivan. Minivans are usually distinguished by their smaller size and front wheel drive powertrain, although some are equipped with four-wheel drive. Minivans typically offer seven- or eight-passenger seating capacity, and better fuel economy than full-sized vans, at the expense of power, cargo space, and towing capacity. Minivans are often equipped with sliding doors.