The new model sports the R-Spec moniker and comes with a new 5.0-liter direct injection V8 engine pushing out 429 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 376 lb. ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm, which makes it the company's most powerful series production model ever. The V8 is mated to Hyundai's all-new eight-speed automatic transmission. While the Koreans did not release acceleration figures, Hyundai did say the car's fuel economy is estimated at 16 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
“They showed us a photo of it and it's gorgeous,” said Doug Fox, a Hyundai dealer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We weren't expecting that.”
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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.
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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].
Scooped here in South Korea completely undisguised, the 2011 Genesis sedan appears to get a reworked front bumper with newly styled air ducts and trim, more prominent side skirts, a chunkier chrome strip above the license plate and a new rear bumper with reshaped exhaust tips.
The Genesis PM850 is motivated by a heavily modified Hyundai Lambda V6 engine bored out to 4.1 liters and fitted with an HKS turbocharger, intercooler, and a unique exhaust system for a total output of 775HP and 750 lb-ft of torque. All that power is sent to all four wheels through a Weismann semi-automatic AWD transmission. Hit the jump to watch the two videos.
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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.
Via: USA Today
Two words I never would have expected to hear in the same sentence five years ago: Hyundai and luxury. In fact, I would have thought you were a little confused. Well, I guess that's egg on my face. Over the past few years the little Korean automaker-that-could has been turning itself into a powerhouse brand with impressive quality, price points, design, engineering, and performance. The automaker whose dealerships I tried to avoid like the plague only a short time ago now has a lineup that has me wanting to take a second look.
First came the Genesis, a lux-ish sedan that provides a V8 and rear-wheel drive to compete with the big boys from Germany and Japan while undercutting their prices by a wide margin. Then, hot on the Genesis sedan's tail came the Genesis Coupe with its 2.0-liter turbo four or big 300HP+ V6, again offering performance by mating both to a 6-speed stick and RWD.
Finally, just this week in New York Hyundai had their new home-market flagship on the podium, the new Mercedes S-Class sized Equus sedan, you know, just for show (yeah right). No doubt if reactions are good they'll be bringing this puppy across the Pacific to start recruiting Mercedes and Lexus buyers. If prices for the six-cylinder were really to start in the 40k's as rumors suggest, I can imagine a loaded model with the V8 would still come in under most competitors' prices.
I'm not quite sure where Hyundai got the nerve and the skills to leapfrog some of Japan's best attempts at top tier status (Acura and Infiniti, for example), but boldly bearing down on Lexus and Mercedes has definitely gotten consumers' attention. Never in a million years would I have thought that serious people would be comparing Hyundai with manufacturers from the inner circle of luxury.
From the looks of it, the Equus is just the next stage in Hyundai's grand scheme to show people the Japanese aren't the only Asian automotive force to be reckoned with. Having seen its flagship, now I'm (I can't believe I'm saying this) eagerly anticipating the Tiburon's replacement. Mercedes and Lexus, watch your backs. It's looking more and more like Hyundai will be a real contender in the years to come.
By Phil Alex
Phil Alex was born in Rhode Island in 1985, yet for reasons unbeknownst to him moved to South Carolina. He graduated with degrees in Finance and German from Wofford College in 2007 and has had a strange obsession with cars and travel since he was a wee lad. He currently resides a stone's throw from Japan's international airport in Narita. All of this can be seen on Facebook, so check it out. He makes no apologies for his articles and welcomes all feedback, as long as it is adamantly worded.
These are the first official photographs of the new 'Genesis Prada' that will make its world debut at the Seoul Motor Show on April 2. Created by the Korean automaker in partnership with Italian luxury goods maker Prada, the special edition Genesis will be built in a mere three examples, with one car remaining with Hyundai while the other two cars will be auctioned for charity with all income donated to an institution which will be announced at a later stage.
So what makes the Prada edition stand out from the rest of the Genesis range? Well, on the outside Prada's designers chose a matte metallic midnight blue finish combined with metal parts in titanium. Furthermore, the dark matte plated gold replaces the existing shining chrome for the radiator grill, the emblem, and the outer handles while the Genesis also gets a neat set of 20-inch alloy wheels and an outer antenna with edge shape, all designed by Prada's stylists.
For the interior, the Italian fashionistas dressed the dashboard and the upholstery in "saffiano" leather while Hyundai claims that a new special technology was applied to all gold plated details and all wood grain parts - whatever that means.
Source: Hyundai , Via: Hyundai-blog
Today, Hyundai performed the official market launch of its new flagship sedan, the Equus VI, at an event held in Seoul, Korea that was attended by more than 1,000 VIP guests including South Korea's Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo. Representing a total investment of 500 billion won (approximately US$337 million), the 2010 Equus will serve as a rival to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and its likes.
Based on a modified version of the Genesis sedan's rear-wheel drive platform, the 5,160mm long Equus comes with a choice of two engines, the 'Lambda' 3.8-liter V6 with 290HP and 36.5kgm of torque and the 'Tau' 4.6-liter V8 delivering 366HP and 44.8kgm of torque. Both engines are matted to a six-speed automatic transmission. According to Hyundai, the Equus V6 has a combined fuel economy rating of 10.8 lt /100km (21.8 mpg US) and the Equus V8, 11.4 lt / 100km (20.6 mpg US).
The Equus rides on a 5-link suspension (front and rear) featuring lightweight aluminum control arms while Hyundai has worked in partnership with ZF-SACHS to develop an air-suspension that is electronically governed to minimize body roll, nose-diving and other undesirable characteristics.
Other notable highlights include the standard Vehicle Stability Management which integrates the Lane Departure Warning System, Pre-Safety System, Third Generation Smart Cruise Control (SCC) and other sub-systems, as well as the addition of a Knee Air Bag for the driver that brings the total airbag count to nine.
In Korea, the Equus will be available in four trim levels, with prices starting from 63.7 million won (approximately US$44,850) for the entry level, V6-powered VS380 model and topping out at 105 million won (approximately US$73,900) for the V8-powered VS460 Prestige. Towards the end of 2009, Hyundai will extend the range with a long wheelbase edition that will be powered by a 5.0-liter V8 'Tau' engine.
Hyundai officials said that the company plans to sell around 13,000 units of the new Equus in the Korean market this year, increasing that number to 19,000 units in 2010. The new Korean flagship sedan will also make its way to selected overseas markets like China and the Middle East starting in the second half of 2009.
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