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It was only a matter of time before they entered the minivan fray and after several false starts the on again and off again Hyundai minivan appears to be on once again. Hyundai is targeting a market it has long sidestepped and it appears that a long wheelbase version of the Kia Sedona will soon be sold in the US as a Hyundai Entourage. The minivan wars are heating up again even as one competitor exits the market and another also gives serious consideration to abandoning the minivan segment. Is there an Entourage in your future? Read on for all the details and then decide.

Two decades ago, Hyundai entered the North American market with its $3600 Excel Pony. This cheaply priced, cheaply built model set the tone for the new importer and it wasn’t a good one at that. Low quality went arm and arm with the low price, but consumers still bought Hyundais anyway as a new Excel compared favorably with prices for late model used cars of that era. Many owners shrugged off the cheap plastics and quality problems, citing that the Pony gave them something they never had before: a brand new car.

Eventually, Hyundai expanded its line up and improved its quality levels. An industry best warranty plan was crafted and put in place which helped to underscore that Hyundai was serious about building quality vehicles and would stand behind their many products. Mysteriously, a minivan was not part of the line up even as its Kia subsidiary successfully introduced the Sedona and as demand for minivans remained strong.

Rumors of a Hyundai minivan have been circulating for several years. Even previous company press releases hinted at the possibility, but no official announcement had been forthcoming. Finally, late in 2005, Hyundai signaled that they would go ahead and produce a minivan based on the stretched wheelbase version of the Kia Sedona. No short wheelbase van is planned, so the Entourage will clearly target a slightly higher and more lucrative end of the minivan market.

With a 3.8L V6 engine, power sliding doors, ABS, traction control, six airbags, and triple zone air conditioning, the Entourage will be equipped to compete directly against four popular models: the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, and the Toyota Sienna. Based on the Sedona, Hyundai does have its work cut out for itself as the Sedona has been below average in quality and reliability.

To Hyundai’s advantage will be its competitive pricing and with Ford out of the market and General Motors considering doing the same, Hyundai’s focus will be set squarely on competing against the two Chrysler products as well as the pricey Honda and Sienna models. While Chrysler is currently the sales leader in this segment, a smartly optioned Entourage will probably grab sales from fully equipped versions of each model. This will not happen if quality levels do not improve.

Knowing the competitiveness of this Korean automaker, you can expect that the Entourage will present a strong battle once quality issues have been overcome. Should that happen, you can expect that the Hyundai Entourage and Kia Sedona will grab more sales and become a force to be reckoned with. The consumer may be the biggest winner as prices are likely to hold or even come down in the face of strong competition.

Copyright 2006 – Matt Keegan is a freelance writer covering important automotive topics and products including alltimingchains.com timing chain, alltimingchains.com/replacement.html timing chain replacement and
alltimingchains.com/cloyes.html Cloyes timing chain parts.

People need ample space which is why a van is more practical than getting a compact car. The person may be paying more gas but the convenience of having this vehicle is more important than anything else.

The customer can check some preowned vans in the dealers lot to see if there is a good bargain. If there are none that suits the person’s tastes, there are other places to check out such as a public or a government auction.

In the government auction, an employee once used vehicle that is being sold. These were neither confiscated for failing to pay a loan nor acquired in a raid. These are also well maintained and have a maintenance record so the person will know the history of the van.

The individual can see the van by going to a government facility that is auctioning off government surplus vehicles after registering in the front to be allowed to go in. One can even sit on the drivers seat, check the air conditioning and the heater to make sure these are working.

The only thing the prospective buyer cannot do is to take the van for a spin. If the person likes it, the only thing to do will be to submit a bid and wait who will win. Since this is an auction, the highest bidder will be the one who will bring it home.

There are a lot of people who participate in a government surplus auction. Some of these buyers will use the van for personal use while there are others who will use it for business or profit.

This shows that the competition is quite tough when hoping to buy a van at a more affordable price. It will be a good idea then to have a few other prospects in mind should the first choice go to someone else.

If this doesn’t work out, the person shouldn’t worry because government auctions happen all year round. These are usually announced in the newspaper and people can review what is offered in the Internet since these are featured in the government website.

People who are able to buy a van or any other vehicle in the government auction can pay using cash, credit card or check. A government certificate known as a standard form 97 and a purchaser’s receipt will be given so this can be brought to the Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV so this can be transferred to the name of the new owner.

If during the time of the auction the individual is not able to go, it is still possible to try and get the van by having someone else represent the person. The documents that have to be presented are a letter from the prospective buyer and the social security or tax identification number.

Buying a government surplus van is still the best choice for many given that no repairs are needed when this is driven on the road. The person will just bring it to the shop for maintenance to make sure it is in running condition at all times.

Also, no one will care where the van came from since the driver in the other vehicle probably got it in the same or similar facility that sold these surplus goods.

For listings of government surplus auctions, please visit auto-car-auctions.info/ auto-car-auctions.info/