Getting disabled people weighing up to 135 kg into a passenger seat of a minivan is a problem for many caregivers, but GM is now selling a system that should make things a lot easier for them.

While the Sit-N-Lift seat is not inexpensive at $8,600, its design will make the financial implications of using a minivan for transporting handicapped people less onerous.

The Sit-N-Lift fits into many of GM's current mid-sized vans as well as its new and future models, and will not require any permanent changes to the vehicle. This allows the vehicle owner to take the seat to another GM minivan and then return the current minivan to its original condition.

GM is the only automotive manufacturer in North America to offer a fully motorized, rotating lift-and-lower passenger seat.

As part of a new extended-length GM minivan (including the coming Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Venture, Pontiac Montana SV6 and Saturn Relay), the Sit-N-Lift seat can be ordered as a regular production option and therefore be part of the general financing of the vehicle.

Such equipment has traditionally been ordered and paid for separately, often raising the monthly financial pressure.

According to Gary Talbot, who was the primary force behind the creation of the Sit-N-Lift, this also means the vehicle will "not look like a car for the handicapped," which is an important consideration for many people.

"It looks like a regular seat," he said.

Sit-N-Lift works on any extended-length GM mid-size van going back to the 2001 model year.

It's easy to order the Sit-N-Lift, Talbot said, because "it's in the vehicle order guide just like mud flaps used to be."

Sit-N-Lift is a fully powered seat that provides convenient access to the right-hand second-row seat.

It's operated by a handheld remote control that rotates the power bucket seat, which then extends out of the vehicle and lowers for easier entry/exit. It includes a slide-out footrest and can lower to approximately 43 cm from the bottom of the seat bottom to the ground.

All of this adds up to a "tremendous win for our community," said Talbot, who has been wheelchair-bound since a car crash many years ago.