A Quick Look Into The Hyundai Entourage
It was only a matter of time before they entered the minivan fray and after several false shelf life of cialis starts the on again and off again Hyundai minivan seems to be on once again. Hyundai is targeting a market it has long sidestepped and it seems that a long wheelbase version of the Kia Sedona will shortly be sold in the USA as a Hyundai Entourage. The minivan wars are heating again even as one rival exits the market and another also gives heavy consideration to abandoning the minivan segment. Is there an Entourage in your future? Read on for all the details and then decide.
Two decades gone, Hyundai entered the northern US 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 any way as a new Excel compared favorably with prices for late model used vehicles of that time. Many owners shrugged off the inexpensive plastics and quality problems, citing the 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 cars 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 requirement for minivans remained strong.
Rumors of a Hyundai minivan have been circulating for many 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’d go forward and produce a minivan based on the stretched wheelbase version of the Kia Sedona. No short wheelbase truck is pencilled in, so the Entourage will clearly target a touch higher and more profitable end of the minivan market.
With a 3.8L V6 engine, power sliding doors, ABS, traction control, six airbags, and triple section air-con, the Entourage will be supplied to compete directly against 4 well-liked 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 spotlight will be set squarely on competing against the 2 Chrysler products as well as the dear Honda and Sienna models. Whilst Chrysler is currently the sales leader in this segment, a smartly optioned Entourage will often grab sales from fully equipped versions of each model. This could not occur if quality levels don’t improve.
Knowing the competitiveness of this Korean automaker, you should expect that the Entourage will present a strong battle once quality issues have been overcome. Should that happen, you may expect that the Hyundai Entourage and Kia Sedona will grab more sales and become a force to be reckoned with. The client might be the largest winner as prices are likely to hold or maybe come down in the face of strong competition.
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