Hyundai Equus:

Hyundai brings the Equus to the 2009 South Florida International Auto Show

Hyundai turned a few heads at the Miami Auto Show by displaying the all new Equus luxury limousine on the turntable in the center of their booth. While this was actually a Korean spec Equus, it still managed to impress the judges at the show. The new Hyundai is scheduled to go on sale sometime next year for close to $50,000; and while Hyundai only expects to sell 20,000 units per, after sitting in the passenger’s seat we think they shouldn’t have a problem. The car could get toned down for the U.S. Market, after all Korean’s are crazy for chrome, but we just hope the hood ornament stays. It looks like they cut they head off of one of Rolls Royce’s flying ladies and then streamlined her physique in order for it to guide Korean executives as they recline in comfort in the spacious back seat, catch up on some work with the wood tray table or simply relax by watching the fold out television monitor. The Equus is an elegant vehicle from Hyundai and is the next logical step for a company who has just enjoyed so much success with the current award winning Genesis sedan.

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Hyundai Equus Stretch Edition not US bound?

The soon-to-be-released Hyundai Equus Stretch Edition is on its way to a number of countries in the world, although it looks like the US will not be one of them, at least that’s what Hyundai USA said. In a statement they released, Hyundai USA said that “we have no comment on plans for such an edition in the U.S.”

While the future of the Equus limousine in the US remains a point of debate, Hyundai has long confirmed that the standard Equus edition would make its way to the US where it is being positioned as a contender to the country’s luxury car market that has long been dominated by Lexus and BMW.

In the event that the Equus limousine does make it to America, it’s interesting to note that the car will be priced significantly higher than that of the Lexus LS 460 and the BMW 750i. As it stands right now, the price for the Equus limo goes at around $110,000 as opposed to $75,000 for the LS 460 and $85,000 for the 750i.

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2010 Hyundai Equus Stretch Edition

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As other automakers are looking towards smaller more compact models to get through these tough economic times, the Korean car builder is rejoicing their recent success and are rewarding the world with the Hyundai Equus, an even better luxury bargain than last year’s Car of the Year Winning Genesis Sedan. The new to the U.S. Equus is well known as the automaker’s flagship sedan, being powered by a 366 HP V8 that gets as many as 28 MPG. The concept is similar to the Genesis, except the Equus has a bit more space inside.

Adding excess to success, Hyundai has just released the Equus Limousine. Pumping a little more volume into their flagship luxury sedan by stretching it to almost a foot longer than the competition, Hyundai has come up with an affordable, attractive and sensible alternative to their German and Japanese luxury car building cousins. The stretched Equus is distinguishable by its horizontal cross bar grill that is exclusive to Hyundai’s most expensive product. For the first time, the South Korean automaker will power on of their cars with the all new 5.0 Liter Tau V8 that makes as much as 400 HP, making the Equus Limousine more powerful than both the Lexus LS460L and Mercedes S500L.

Rest assured up and coming Korean hip hop super stars, Hyundai is also releasing a bullet proof version of the long wheelbase model. For those who aren’t so fortunate, but still want to ride in spacious luxury and comfort, Hyundai will offer an optional cost reducing 3.8 Liter V6 that will bring prices down closer to the $100,000 mark. Now going down to your Hyundai dealer and handing over a thousand Benjamins might be hard to fathom, but with being able to say that you are riding around in the same vehicle as the President of Korea might be worth it.

Press release after the jump.

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Hyundai waits until Pebble Beach to announce that the Equus flagship sedan will be sold in the U.S.

The Korean automaker Hyundai waited until the perfect moment to announce that the Equus flagship sedan will in fact be making its way into dealerships right here in the U.S. The announcement came from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance after much anticipation and speculation as to whether the American market was ready for an ultra premium sedan from Hyundai, and judging by the Genesis sedan’s warm reception, it looks like we are.

Hyundai Motor America president and CEO John Krafcik said that "We showed the car at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, and the response was fantastic,... Since then, we’ve had a fleet travelling around the country, capturing input from our dealers and consumers. Here, too, the response was extraordinarily positive, and similar to the market reaction to the award-winning Genesis, so we’ve decided to bring it to the U.S.” In the states Hyunudai hopes to steal a few luxury buyers from the likes of Mercedes, BMW and Lexus.

Congratulations are in order for the Korean automaker making a bold move and not being afraid to ruffle a few feathers at the world’s greatest car show. So while the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will be featuring names like Bugatti and Bentley and celebrating a century of Morgan, Audi and the designs of Zagato; Hyundai has given everyone something else to think about.

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Hyundai Equus available in the U.S. this summer

First revealed in March for their domestic Korean market, Hyundai’s latest attempt at capturing a piece of the full size luxury market, the Hyundai Equus, will soon be on its way to the U.S. in the form of 100 units this summer in order to test the waters. Hyundai is pricing the Equus at around $75,000, in the ballpark with its intended competition: BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS 460L.

The Equus will be powered by the same 4.6 Liter Tau V8 that is found in Hyundai Genesis sedan. The Equus is priced substantially higher than their 5 Series competitor, offering V6 power for only $32,250 and a fully loaded V8 topping out at $42,000. The midsize sedan is doing well for the Korean automaker, which sold 6,021 Genesis sedans April.

Lets just hope that the Equus doesn’t go the way of the Volkswagen Phaeton.

2009 Hyundai Equus

Hyundai revealed today the 2009 Equus on the Korean market. Equus is in its second generation and will be available in three trim levels, with prices between $42,410 USD to $70,234 USD. There is no info yet if the Equus will be offered in the USA.

Equus is being offered with a choice of V6 and V8 engines, with power of 290-hp and 366-hp respectively. The V6 has a a fuel-economy of 25 mpg, while the V8 delivers 27 mpg.

Front and rear, Equus rides on 5-link suspension featuring lightweight aluminium control arms. Such a multi-link setup for both the front and the rear is uncommon in the industry but through a careful optimisation of the wheel geometry and bushing characteristics, stability and ride quality were optimised. To improve shock control over the wheels, Hyundai worked in partnership with ZF-SACHS to develop Amplitude Selective Dampers (ASD) which features an innovative relief valve, a design Equus shares with only one other car in the world, its luxury stable-mate Genesis. The air suspension is electronically governed to minimize body roll, nose-diving and other undesirable characteristics.

Equus also comes equipped with an Electric Parking Brake which is automatically released once the vehicle is put into drive gear and an Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering System which reduces fuel consumption.

Press release after the jump.

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Hyundai Equus revealed; might come to USA

Hyundai seems to be teasing the U.S. with its largest sedan, the Equus. Hyundai has been making various generations of this car for over a decade mostly for the home market in Korea, and it has done a good job of keeping it of North America’s radar, until now. At the beginning of the year there was a teaser sketch, and now official pics and a press release (in English) has surfaced.

So, is Hyundai thinking about giving the Genesis sedan a big brother in America? Time will only tell. What we do know is that the new Equus will come with the 268 hp 3.8-liter V6 and 360 hp 4.6-liter V8 from the Genesis. Hyundai may also enlarge the V8 to 5.0-liters for the large sedan. The Equus should be in Korean showrooms by next month.

Full press release after the jump

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2010 Hyundai Equus first renderings

Hyundai’s actually got something bigger than the Genesis. It’s called the Equus, and it’s been for sale in select markets (not the U.S.) for almost a decade. In this short time its already up for its fourth restyle, and Hyundai has released some official sketches of what can be expected. Just like the its smaller siblings the Azera and the Genesis, the next Equus will trade in boxy looks for some shapely curves.

The car should receive a 400+ hp 5.0-liter version of Hyundai’s Tau V8 engine, as well as an eight-speed automatic transmission. While the largest of Hyundais is set to go on sale in February of 2010, there is no word yet if that will also mean in U.S. dealerships.