Hyundai Advances Dealers Cash for Clunkers Funds

The government hasn’t finished registering dealers for its Cash for Clunkers program yet, and rules for how funds will be distributed haven’t been released to the public or dealers. Hyundai isn’t waiting, however. The company is supplying cash funds to dealers now in advance of CARS going into effect. In fact, it already paid one car shopper last week for turning in a 1995 Ford Explorer while purchasing a new Hyundai Elantra Touring.

Hyundai is being aggressive with its latest incentives, as the company is one of the few to see sales success since the economic downturn. It’s still offering its Assurance plan, and this month it launched a gas incentive good for $1.49-a-gallon gas for a year.

You can check out our up-to-date guide to Cash for Clunkers here, as well as a full list of eligible vehicles (by mpg) here.

Hyundai Expedites Benefits of Cash for Clunkers (AutoRemarketing.com)

Hyundai Entourage Minivan Killed

I always thought “Entourage” was an ironic name for Hyundai’s uninspired minivan. The Entourage is essentially a clone of the Kia Sedona, which is one of Kia’s best-sellers.

Later this year, Hyundai will finally axe the slow-selling Entourage, which only managed 8,400 sales during all of 2008. That was down 50% from 2007.

U.S. Hyundai CEO John Krafcik said the Entourage was a “cheap lesson in why you don’t do badge engineering.” Hyundai launched the Entourage in 2007 at the behest of Hyundai dealers who said they needed a minivan.

Over the past few years, Hyundai and Kia (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai) have started to sell divergent ranges of models, with Kia as the price leader and Hyundai moving more upmarket. Premium amenity-laden vehicles like the Genesis and Veracruz from Hyundai and inexpensive yet functional ones like the Rondo and Soul from Kia illustrate this point.

This move should give the Kia Sedona more breathing room; the model only sold 27,000 units in 2008, down about 30% from 2007. Overall, though, the minivan segment is in decline, with GM, Ford and now Hyundai abandoning the body style.

NY Auto Show: Hyundai Dumps Van. Just Says No To Badge Engineering (BusinessWeek)

Hyundai Offers $4,000 Off Veracruz, Entourage

If your family has more than two kids, chances are you’re shopping for three-row vehicles like the Hyundai Veracruz crossover and Entourage minivan. Well, Hyundai has released its new incentives for the month — good through Dec. 1 — and they include $4,000 off both the 2008 Veracruz and the 2008 Entourage. 

Both vehicles are Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Picks and feature a lot of standard equipment. The 2008 Veracruz starts at $27,045, and the 2008 Entourage starts at $23,995. For a full list of cash-back offers, read below.

Best Cash-Back Finds: 12.07.07

Sifting through sales, incentives and various offers from car companies can be almost a full-time job for shoppers — and it is a full-time gig for some Cars.com staffers. We maintain a list of the Top 10 Cash-Back Offers here and a list of every available incentive here to help thrifty car shoppers. 

However, those charts aren’t helpful if you’re not sure about the cars on them. Is it OK to get the 2007 with a rebate and not the 2008? Could a car with a $4,000 cash-back offer be any good? The editors at Cars.com look at all the incentives and let you know which vehicles they recommend. These cars may not have the biggest rebates thrown on the hood, but our recommendations take into account our experiences driving the cars, along with some other factors, including safety and ownership costs. 

2007 Ford Edge

• MSRP: $25,320
• Cash back: $2,500
• Percent off MSRP: 9.87%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Why it makes the cut: This is a classic example of a model where not much has changed for the new model year, besides the availability of that cool Sync feature we recently tested. If you don’t care about that, there are plenty of 2007 Edges left on dealer lots. The SUV has a lot of style and a healthy V-6 engine standard along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award. We’re not big fans of the interior fit and finish, but there’s a lot of utility here for the money.

Reader Review of the Week

Companies like GM and Ford may be abandoning the minivan, but it’s still a competitive segment, especially among import brands. Last year, Hyundai introduced its first minivan, the Entourage.

In his expert review of the Entourage last summer, Cars.com’s own Joe Wiesenfelder said it is “a model that impresses not only shoppers who are unfamiliar with the brand, but also those who have followed the South Korean brand’s improvements and growth.” That certainly seems the case in this week’s top consumer review by a Toyota Sienna owner going by the name of “Long Term Toyota Customer.” He or she was impressed by the Entourage during a four-day trial and pointed out many pros and cons compared to the Sienna.

Long Term Toyota Customer’s review is below. You can write your own car review right here.