* Early predecessors: Delivery wagons and adapted trucks existed long before the term "van" was commonly used. These date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
* Early 20th century: The development of closed-body delivery vehicles, often modified trucks, became more common in the 1910s and 1920s.
* Post-World War II: The post-war era saw a boom in purpose-built vans, especially in the United States. Companies like Ford and Chevrolet started producing dedicated van models in the late 1940s and 1950s. These are generally considered the starting point for the modern concept of a van.
Therefore, there's no single "invention date." The evolution of vans was a gradual process spanning several decades, with the post-World War II era marking a significant turning point in their development and widespread adoption.
