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Audi may have put “Old luxury on notice” with its Super Bowl commercials last year, but Hyundai apparently is plotting an actual hit on traditional luxury-car manufacturers as it pushes deeper into affluent pockets. Despite the champagne corks still lodged in the ceiling from last month’s celebration of the Genesis sedan winning the 2009 North American Car of the Year award, the Korean automaker is moving ahead with the launch of the rear-wheel-drive 2010 Equus, a larger, more-impressive luxury sedan charged with confronting segment stalwarts such as the Mercedes-Benz S-class and Lexus LS.
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While the new Equus will go on sale next month in Korea with Chinese deliveries commencing in the second half of 2009 the U.S. will have to wait several years before being graced by the presence of a new high-end Hyundai. Officials recently confirmed with BusinessWeek.com that the Equus will indeed come to America and probably Europe early in the next decade.
While the new Equus will go on sale next month in Korea with Chinese deliveries commencing in the second half of 2009 the U.S. will have to wait several years before being graced by the presence of a new high-end Hyundai. Officials recently confirmed with BusinessWeek.com that the Equus will indeed come to America and probably Europe early in the next decade.
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The Need for More Bling
The Equus shares much of its mechanicals with the Genesis sedan. However, its 203-inch length is about six inches greater than that of the Genesis, and its price is expected to be significantly higher as well, probably close to $90K. The goal was to improve on the Genesis “in every measurable way,” Hyundai says, as well as attract Korean luxury-car buyers who have defected to more-established foreign nameplates. For new markets like the U.S. that have never heard of the Equus he original version debuted in 1999 and sold more than 120,000 units in Asia and the Middle East hat means opening up a whole new can of worms.
The Equus shares much of its mechanicals with the Genesis sedan. However, its 203-inch length is about six inches greater than that of the Genesis, and its price is expected to be significantly higher as well, probably close to $90K. The goal was to improve on the Genesis “in every measurable way,” Hyundai says, as well as attract Korean luxury-car buyers who have defected to more-established foreign nameplates. For new markets like the U.S. that have never heard of the Equus he original version debuted in 1999 and sold more than 120,000 units in Asia and the Middle East hat means opening up a whole new can of worms.
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Hyundai describes the interior as sumptuous and it does appear to feature a rich blend of exotic-wood trim, fine leather, and electronic overload. Three interior colors will be offered, along with matching hardwood and brushed aluminum accents.
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In terms of styling, the Equus clearly has evolved from the Genesis. And like its lesser stable-mate, the Equus comes across as a mish-mash of design cues cribbed from existing vehicles. The chunky side and wheel arches resemble the S-class, for example, while the rear has a decidedly Lexus LS tone to it. The nose is more prominent than the Genesis’s generic mug, and the grille actually has an emblem on it, not to mention an honest-to-goodness hood ornament: the model’s signature winged-horse mascot.q
Hyundai describes the interior as sumptuous and it does appear to feature a rich blend of exotic-wood trim, fine leather, and electronic overload. Three interior colors will be offered, along with matching hardwood and brushed aluminum accents.
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