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.
More Information:Matthew C. Keegan is a freelance author. Please visit his site here:
http://www.thearticlewriter.com/ 
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