Ford Family One - the automaker's latest take on a minivan alternative.

The minivan is dead.  Or so goes conventional wisdom, and the steady decline in sales would suggest that’s probably true.  Even king-of-the-hill Chrysler is struggling to fill a single factory, while the other domestic makers, Ford and General Motors, have walked away from the minivan segment entirely.

Well, then again, maybe not.  Ford weighed in with an interesting alternative, last year, in the form of its Flex “people mover.”  And at the upcoming New York Auto Show, it will reveal another possible minivan substitute, this one dubbed the Ford Family One.

If the basic shape is familiar, that’s because Ford has been getting a lot of mileage, lately, out of its European-designed TransitConnect van.  We saw a heaping helping of TC variants at the Chicago Auto Show, just two months ago.  But the automaker does have an interesting point to make: the van is surprisingly flexible, and perhaps it could be turned into a real minivan alternative, if your family doesn’t mind being driving a van distinctly commercial in its overall shape.

Ford's Family One concept van will debut at the 2009 NY Auto Show. Could it have a future as a Ford "people mover"?

For the moment, think of Family One as “a pure concept,” cautions Andy Georgescu, Ford’s product marketing manager for commercial vehicles.  But the automaker will be watching closely, at the NY and subsequent auto shows, to see if family buyers are drawn to the prototype – and if so, what specifically appeals to them.

To soften the commercial appearance, the TransitConnect has been painted bright blue and white.  The interior load floor looks like a giant Lego block.  In fact, there’s a storage bin for Legos in the cargo bay, and the backside of the rear bench seat can be used as a Lego base.  Two Razor scooters are mounted on the inside of the back barn doors, and a foldaway stroller tucks away neatly below the load floor.

There are helmets and packs and, well, a lot of stuff to keep track of.  That’s where the Ford Works Solution system comes into play.  Developed for use on the big F-Series pickup, it’s an RFID tracking system that lets you know when everything you’ve brought to the party – or worksite – is stowed away.  In this case, you’ll see a set of icons on the oversized navigation screen mounted into the center console.

Ford Family One uses two rear-projector video systems to entertain young travelers.

Today’s families have gone high-tech, of course, and for Mom – or Mr. Mom – the navi system also stores your calendar.  You can set each event on your little prodigy’s schedule to list everything that needs to be brought alone, whether it’s a violin and bow for music lessons, or ball and uniform for soccer practice.

One of the more unusual features added to this version of the TransitConnect is a plexiglass bulkhead separating the front and rear seats.  “We wanted to give everyone their own space,” Georgescu explains.  One of the advantages is keeping flying Lego parts and other objects from hitting the driver in the head.  Meanwhile, the upper portion of the bulkhead serves as a rear projector screen for two separate computer displays – the projectors mounted on a shelf above the tall windshield.  One kid can watch a movie, the other play videogames.

“Trying to get into the head of kids and see what they want was great fun,” laughs the youthful Chiewi Lee, the Ford senior designer responsible for the Family One concept.  “The minivan,” he adds, “was the perfect solution 10 years ago.  We’re trying to see what families will need five to 10 years from now.”