GMC Cars - General Motors Cars

GMC Vans / General Motors vans

A van is a vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is generally a rather box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground. It can either be a specially designed vehicle or be based on a saloon/sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs (pick-ups etc).

The "standard" or "full size" vans in the United States were originally manufactured by the General Motors. The frame and drive train are identical or similar to the full sized pickups made by the each manufacturer but with a snub front resulting in most of the engine protruding under a console between the front seats, often called a "dog house". They have been sold as both cargo and passenger models to the general public and as Cutaway van chassis versions for second stage manufacturers to make box vans, ambulances, campers and other vehicles. Second stage manufacturers also modify the original manufacturer's body to create custom vans for the general public.

GMC van models:

	GMC Savana Van See more about GMC Savana
	GMC Safari Van See more about GMC Safari

Recently the passenger versions have been criticized for having a tendency to roll over. The van body is taller than the cab and bed of the pickup that uses the same style frame and drivetrain resulting in the basic van having a higher center of gravity than a similarly loaded pickup from which it is derived. The seats in the passenger version raise the load, passengers, above the floor, further increasing the center of gravity. The bench seats allow passengers to slide if safety belts are not used (in the United States it is common for only the front seat passengers to use their safety belts) and belted passengers can still lean and shift a large amount. The result is a high center of gravity and a shifting load, particularly in passenger versions. In addition, many of the drivers of passenger vans drive them infrequently.

Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work (for instance, people who come to homes or places of business to perform services or to install or repair appliances).

Vans are also used to shuttle people and their luggage between hotels and airports, to transport commuters between parking lots and their places of work, and along established routes as mini-buses.