2010 Hyundai Equus Spotted with U.S. License Plates in Los Angeles

Hyundai may not have any official plans to import the new 2010 Equus luxury sedan in the States -at least for the time being, but an example of the Korean firm's Lexus LS-sized flagship model with California distributor licenses plates was spotted by a member of the 'Genesis Owner' community in the city of Diamond Bar, located 30 miles east of Los Angeles.

However, before you start the speculative rumors, the forum member claims that Diamond Bar " is home to many South Koreans on US corporate assignments," and that Korean domestic market cars are a common sight in the area.

The big, rear-wheel drive four-door saloon shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Genesis and it is aimed at high-end luxury saloons such as the BMW 7-Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Currently offered only in Korea, the Equus is available with a 290HP 3.8-liter V6 and a 4.6-liter V8 delivering 366HP.

During it official unveiling at an event in Seoul in March, Hyundai said there are currently no plans to export the Equus to the North American or European markets. However, the Korean automaker brought the saloon over for show in New York in early April.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Hyundai Evaluating the Creation of a Separate Genesis Brand to Compete with Lexus, May Build a BMW 3-Series Rival

If you were wondering what's next on the Hyundai and Kia Group's agenda of world domination, the answer is the addition of a third brand to the firm's portfolio to compete head on with Japan's Lexus and Infiniti, and possibly even Germany's finest, including BMW and Audi.

The luxury arm would most likely be called Genesis and include the South Korean firm's current rear-wheel drive offerings such as the Genesis Sedan and Coupe, plus the soon-to-be-launched onto the American market, Lexus LS-rivaling Equus.

The automaker, which saw its U.S. market share increase by an overly impressive 50 per cent in the past two years, would further enhance the range of the Genesis brand with a compact sports saloon in the likes of BMW's best-selling model, the 3-Series, and a crossover utility vehicle to compete with the Lexus RX 350.

The creation of the luxury arm is more than just a thought as John Krafcik, president of Hyundai Motor America, told The Wall Street Journal that the company has two branding scenarios under consideration.

The first and most likely to happen would be for Hyundai to launch the Genesis as a sub-brand and sell the cars in separate parts of its own showrooms. The other is to follow in the footsteps of Lexus and launch the brand into separate dealerships. One third option would be for the company to develop the aforementioned sedan and SUV models but keep the Hyundai branding for the time being.

"One of the keys to this plan is how well the Equus does. We don't need to make a decision for some time", Mr. Krafcik said on the branding question during an interview with journalists.

While Hyundai remains open to all options, Mr. Krafcik said that he is most concerned about launching a spin-off brand due to the costs related to the creation of a new network of dealers and that the company would need to make an additional $6,000 in revenue per each car sold by the outlets.

There appears to be a lot of enthusiasm among Hyundai dealers who are almost certain about the creation of the Genesis brand.

"The dealers are excited about the Equus, and it being the lynch pin for this Genesis brand," said Scott Fink, an owner of two Hyundai dealerships in Florida. "We feel like we can do what others have been unable to do. We think we can sell a luxury brand within the house of the mainstream brand."

Hyundai to Bring 100 Equus Sedans to U.S. Dealerships this Summer

It looks like New York Auto show goers must have been quite impressed with Hyundai's new Equus luxury sedan as the Korean firm is planning to ship 100 examples of its Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival to U.S. dealerships this summer. This could explain the recent sighting of an Equus with California distributor licenses plates that was spotted just outside Los Angeles. According to a report from USA Today, the idea behind Hyundai's decision is to gauge what American consumers think about the company's flagship model that was recently launched in Korea.

Hyundai believes that if it the Equus were to be successful in the States, it would hugely benefit the image of the company. "It would decisively shift public opinion in our favor. It would be the capstone," told the newspaper Oles Gadacz, a Hyundai spokesperson at the company's Research & Development complex outside Seoul.

The rear-wheel-drive Equus sits atop the Genesis in Hyundai's range and is offered with a 290HP 3.8-liter V6 and a 366HP 4.6-liter V8 while a long-wheel-base version with an even more powerful 5.0-liter V8 engine is also in the works.

The Genesis, which was Hyundai's first serious attempt in the luxury sedan segment, has sold just over 6,000 examples this year through April, according to figures released by Autodata. That's not a lot of cars if you consider that the Korean sedan is priced very competitively at $32k for the base V6 model to about $40k for fully packed V8 model. In comparison, the smaller BMW 3-Series Sedan starts from $33,600 for the entry-level 3.0-liter 328i while the rivaling 5-Series from $45,800 for the 528i.

Makes you wonder how many buyers in the U.S. would actually go well above $50k, maybe even up to the $75k range as the USA Today speculates, for a Hyundai-badged model.

In its home market, the Equus is priced from 63.7 million won (around US$51,200) for the entry level, V6-powered VS380 model and tops out at 105 million won (about US$85,000) for the V8-powered VS460 Prestige.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

2011 Hyundai Equus Flagship Starts at $58,900, Includes 5 years Valet Service [+ 60 Photos]

Hyundai's second attempt at the luxury segment after the Genesis, the all-new Equus full-size sedan, will arrive in U.S. showrooms in December with prices set at US$58,900 for the Signature version and US$64,900 for the Ultimate that gets all the bells and whistles, the South Korean automaker announced today.

Both prices include a $900 destination charge as well as free maintenance for 5 years or 60,000 miles, a complimentary valet service which includes a dealership employee picking up and delivering the car for maintenance, and an iPad that replaces the traditional owner's manual.

Not surprisingly, the Equus is priced much lower than other entry-level proposals in the in the luxury full-size sedan segment such as the Mercedes S-Class [S400 295HP V6 Hybrid $91,000], BMW 7-Series [740i 315HP six-cylinder $70,650] and the Jaguar XJ [385HP 5.0L V8 $72,700] and Lexus LS [LS 460 380HP 4.6L V8 $65,380].

The Genesis-based flagship Equus is offered exclusively with a 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 385-horsepower, matched to a 6-speed automatic transmission that delivers power to the rear axle.

Buyers of the base Signature model are treated to amenities such as a 608-watt Lexicon audio system with 17 speakers, electronically controlled air suspension with continuous damping control, HID headlamps, front and rear parking assistance system with rearview camera, leather seating, Alcantara suede headliner, driver seat massage, heated and cooled front seats, and heated wood and leather steering wheel.

Those that opt for the Ultimate model will get several additional features including a forward-view parking and cornering camera, power decklid, reclining rear seats with powered headrests, cooled rear seats, rear seat massage and leg support, rear seat refrigerator and a rear seat entertainment system.

"When you're spending this much for a new car, you don't want to feel like you've been shortchanged on engineering, technology or features," said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO. "Equus Signature has the technology and content of fully-optioned flagship models from Lexus and BMW, while Equus Ultimate delivers a specification approached only by our competitors' low-volume, special-order models."

Press Release:

"At Your Service" Summary

• Valet service – The dealership will pickup and deliver the owner's Equus for maintenance, replacement of wear items or warranty work
  
• Replacement vehicle – If alternative transportation is needed while service is being performed, the dealer will provide a Genesis or Equus at no cost
  
• Maintenance – Covers all factory maintenance for the first five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first
  
• Wear items – Covers brake pads, brakes discs, wiper blades and battery
  

EQUUS SIGNATURE KEY STANDARD FEATURES

• 4.6L DOHC Tau V8 engine
  
• Six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC®
  
• Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS)
  
• Electronically controlled air suspension with Continuous Damping Control (CDC)
  
• 19-inch chrome alloy wheels with P245/45R19 (front) / P275/40R19 (rear) tires
  
• Four-wheel disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and EBD
  
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with TCS and Brake Assist
  
• Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system with pre-collision warning
  
• Nine airbags: advanced dual front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side-impact airbags, driver knee airbag, and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags
  
• Electronic active front head restraints with power controls
  
• Electronic seatbelt pretensioners
  
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
  
• Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)
  
• Smart Cruise Control
  
• High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights with LED turn signal indicators
  
• Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFLS) with auto-leveling
  
• Fog lights and automatic headlights
  
• Front and rear parking assistance system with rearview camera
  
• Dual power-folding heated auto-dimming side mirrors with turn signal indicators and approach lamps
  
• Dual asymmetrical exhaust tips integrated with rear bumper
  
• Proximity key entry with push-button start
  
• Illuminated scuff plates, inside door handles and door armrest
  
• Premium leather seating surfaces and Alcantara® suede headliner
  
• 12-way power driver seat plus lumbar adjustment and 10-way power front passenger seat
  
• Driver seat massage system
  
• Heated and cooled front seats
  
• Heated, wood-trimmed and leather-wrapped steering wheel
  
• Power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel
  
• Integrated Memory System (IMS) for driver-side seat, mirror and steering wheel
  
• Leather-wrapped dash and real wood interior trim
  
• Electroluminescent cluster (Supervision) with 3.5-inch TFT LCD screen
  
• Electronic parking brake with automatic vehicle hold
  
• Power windows with auto-down/up
  
• Navigation system with DIS and multimedia controller
  
• Apple iPad interactive owner's manual
  
• 608-watt Lexicon 7.1 Discrete surround-sound audio system with 17 speakers
  
• iPod/USB and MP3 auxiliary input jacks and iPod connection cable
  
• XM® Satellite Radio & NavTraffic® with trial subscription
  
• Bluetooth® hands-free phone system
  
• Dual automatic temperature control with air quality system
  
• Windshield-wiper deicer, rain-sensing wipers and auto-defogging windshield with humidity sensor
  
• Electrochromic auto-dimming inside rearview mirror with HomeLink® and compass
  
• Acoustic laminated windshield, front and rear side windows
  
• Power tilt-and-slide glass sunroof
  
• 60/40 power reclining and heated rear seats
  
• Power rear sunshade and rear side-window sunshades
  
• Luggage net
  
• Premium-grade floor mats
  
• Premium-grade trunk cargo mat
  
• First-aid kit (PIO)
  

EQUUS ULTIMATE ADDS ULTRA-LUXURY FEATURES

Equus Ultimate adds or replaces:

• 50/50 split rear seats (four-passenger seating) with reclining function
  
• First-class passenger-side rear seat: leg support and massage system
  
• Cooled rear seats
  
• Rear-seat entertainment system with eight-inch monitor
  
• Thermoelectric rear center console refrigerator
  
• Rear-seat power up/down head restraints with manual tilt
  
• Rear-seat illuminated vanity mirrors
  
• Forward-view cornering camera
  
• Power trunk lid

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