On this particular Friday, the Forums page of Autotalk.com have revealed some interest into the other, full size Hyundai. Debuting in North America in 2010, the Equus has only been on American soil for barely two years. But that’s just its U.S. history as the Equus name has been around for over ten years. On this Forum Friday, we will dissect one of the most important Hyundai’s in recent history.
In 1999, the Korean Hyundai entered an agreement with the Japanese Mitsubishi to build the front wheel drive Equus. Manufactured for the Korean market, the car continued on till the 2008 model year. It went through a few changes, ultimately gaining a V8 engine option and earning the title “most expensive Hyundai.” But it wasn’t until the second generation debuted in 2009 that the Equus truly hit its stride.
The U.S. market Equus came over with one intention: still buyers from premium brands such as Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. Fitted with one drivetrain and one trim: fully loaded, the Equus was billed as a larger, quieter and more mature Genesis Sedan. The 4.6 liter V8 and ZF-built six speed automatic were the only option with power going to the rear wheels. Hyundai was, and still is, so proud of the Equus that only a select group of approved dealerships were given permission to sell the car. So far, approximately 320 dealerships have the showroom within a showroom to sell the Equus. This gives the car an almost “solo” brand image and allows consumers to be given the ultimate attention.
Hyundai was expecting a lot of trade-ins for the Equus and that is just what happened. According to a JD Power and Associates study, 20.8 percent of Equus trade-ins came from Lexus buyers, the majority of those being previous LS owners. For the 2011 model year, the Hyundai held 48 percent of the full size, luxury limo market share. That figure matches the Lexus LS460 and beats the BMW 750Li and Mercedes-Benz S550. With the 2012 model year fast approaching, Hyundai is getting ready for a refresh to make the competition work even harder than before. The 5.0 liter V8 found in the 2012 Genesis Sedan R-Spec will make its 429 horsepower way under the hood of the Equus. Behind that will the be glass-smooth Hyundai built eight speed automatic. As of this writing, the base MSRP for an Equus is $58,000. Fully loaded as an Ultimate trim level, it still costs a low for its segment $64,500: undercutting all of its competition.
http://www.autotalk.com/forums/hyundai/hyundai-equus-10527/
Do you have any experience with an Equus? Or do you have any questions about Hyundai’s flagship? If so, sign up to our Forums page and post away.
