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South Korea’s motoring conglomerate, Hyundai, is set to introduce its flagship Equus luxury sedan to the US market. With stiff competition from Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and Infiniti, Hyundai is planning an onslaught on the top dogs with its relatively cheaper grand saloon, with prices starting at above $50,000. Directly aimed at the Mercedes Benz S class, the Equus will be offered in two variants: Equus Signature and Equus Ultimate. These two models will be powered by Hyundai’s inhouse Tau V8 engine pumping a timid 385 bhp,which is below par as compared to what’s being offered by the rest of the luxury sedan gang. With an emphasis on offering better value for the money, Hyundai is equipping this grand sedan with goodies that hardly anyone can ignore. In the signature model, a top lexicon audio system with 17 speakers and an electronic damping suspension system, amongst other innovations, will be offered as standard. For the range topping Equus ultimate version, rear reclining seats with cooling facility, power headrests, and a rear based entertainment unit will be offered by Hyundai for ultimate comfort. Hit the jump for a list of all the features available on the Hyundai Equus. Press Release Hyundai revealed additional engineering and feature information for the all-new 2011 Equus today. The Equus will be offered in just two configurations, Equus Signature and Equus Ultimate, both lavishly contented. Equus Signature features the award-winning 385-horsepower Tau V8 engine, a 608-watt Lexicon audio system with 17 speakers, electronically controlled air suspension with continuous damping control, Vehicle Stability Management with pre-collision warning, Smart Cruise Control, HID headlamps, front and rear parking assistance system with rearview camera, premium leather seating, Alcantara suede headliner, driver seat massage, heated and cooled front seats, heated wood and leather steering wheel, and numerous other premium technologies and features.  REAR SEAT The Equus Ultimate adds features typically found only in low-volume special-order luxury sedans with six-figure price tags, 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.” This straightforward lineup of just two extremely well-equipped configurations enables a simple and elegant purchase experience, a key aspect of Hyundai’s innovative perspective on intelligent luxury, which also includes “Your Time, Your Place,” the industry’s first at-home vehicle demonstration program, the Valet Service program, which provides at-home pickup for Equus service and maintenance and the industry’s first iPad-based interactive owner’s manual.  EXTERIOR DIMENSIONSEquus’ exterior dimensions match up well to competitive luxury sedan flagships, and provide outstanding interior roominess. EQUUS SIGNATURE KEY STANDARD FEATURES
 EXTERIOR FIRSTS FOR HYUNDAI AND CONSUMERS As Hyundai’s flagship rear-wheel-drive sedan, Equus contains many Hyundai firsts. One innovative new technology is the Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system, which governs ESC, the electronic parking brake, smart cruise control, the collision warning sensor and the seatbelt tensioning system for optimal safety. The seatbelt tensioning system works through sensors, which detect critical driving situations and retract the seatbelts accordingly to prevent passenger movement. The Equus’ dynamic safety package is further enhanced by the Lane Departure Warning System and driver’s knee airbags. Beyond safety, the Equus will also debut power rear side-window sunshades, a heated steering wheel, power trunk lid, dual power, heated and cooled front seats, rain-repelling front side windows, a thermoelectric rear console refrigerator, 60/40 split power reclining rear seats and electronically-controlled Air Suspension with dual-mode Continuous Damping Control. Several new driver information technologies make their debut on the Equus. Driver and passengers can keep an eye on the Equus’ numerous electronic systems through the 3.5-inch TFT LCD vehicle information monitor. Equus also features a forward-view cornering camera and a parking guide system with both top view and rear view perspectives. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES Hyundai’s Tau V8, which has been rated one of Ward’s “Ten Best Engines” for two consecutive years, is a strong technological building block for Equus. It is joined by an unsurpassed standard feature list including Smart Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning System, a heated steering wheel, power reclining rear seats, heated rear seats and a 608-watt Lexicon 7.1 Discrete surround sound audio system with 17 speakers. Equus Ultimate adds first-class rear seating and other focused rear compartment features that can only found on low-volume special-order competitive models.  EQUUS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES
Compared to its primary competitors, the Lexus LS460, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8, the Equus delivers a remarkable advantage in technology and feature content. Air suspension, 19-inch wheels, a collision warning system, nine airbags including rear seat-mounted side-impact airbags, a Lane Departure Warning System, Smart Cruise Control, HID headlights, AFLS, front and rear parking sensors, a rear backup camera and a proximity key with push-button start come standard on Equus Signature and Equus Ultimate. INTERIOR FEATURE COMPARISON Equus delivers an extraordinary package of interior technologies and features including an Alcantara suede headliner, heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, memory system, electronic parking brake, auto vehicle hold, navigation system, iPod connection, dual fully automatic temperature control, sunroof, power rear side-window shades, driver-seat massage, power reclining rear seats (60/40), heated rear seats and a power rear sunshade. Of special appeal to audiophiles is the Equus’ standard, industry-leading 608-watt audio unit, the Lexicon 7.1 Discrete surround sound audio system featuring 17 speakers. EQUUS ULTIMATE ADDS ULTRA LUXURY FEATURESEquus Ultimate adds or replaces:
 The Equus Ultimate takes the luxury mandate of the Equus Signature and enhances it with a package of high-end amenities new to this price class. In the rear, the power-adjustable right-side seat provides passengers a generous 84 degrees of leg support, with the capability to move the front passenger seat forward and out of the way for full leg extension. The Equus Ultimate replaces the 60:40 rear seat of the Equus Signature with a 50:50 power reclining seating configuration. The seat-back of this 50:50 seat massages and vibrates with heat — the perfect relaxation therapy for extended cruising. It is operated by its own remote control unit. Ample, first-class-style headrests also contain wings that can be adjusted for perfect comfort and support, ideal for napping or mere relaxation. The rear seat experience in the Equus Ultimate is further upgraded by an eight-inch LCD screen. This individual entertainment system will play DVDs for rear-seat passengers, as well as demonstrate audio features and report on HVAC status. The rear multimedia monitor can be controlled from the rear console, which also houses the remote control seat massage function. These controls also activate the heated and cooled rear seats and the rear console refrigerator. Other Equus Ultimate features include rear-seat power up/down head restraints with manual tilt, rear-seat illuminated vanity mirrors, a forward-view cornering camera to help drivers navigate around tight corners and a power trunk lid. THE HEART OF HYUNDAI’S FLAGSHIP – SOPHISTICATED POWERTRAIN AND CHASSIS TECHNOLOGIES The Equus is powered by Hyundai’s two-consecutive-year award-winning 4.6-Liter DOHC Tau V8 engine, mated to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC. The overall driving experience is enhanced by Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS) and an electronically-controlled Air Suspension with Continuous Damping Control (CDC) and Smart Cruise Control. Stopping power is provided by four-wheel disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and EBD. The Equus rides on 19-inch chrome alloy wheels with P245/45R19 (front) / P275/40R19 (rear) tires. STANDARD SAFETY EQUIPMENT Equus features standard ESC with TCS and Brake Assist. A new Hyundai safety innovation comes in the form of the Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) with pre-collision warning. VSM ties all of the active and passive safety features together, making sure that they perform optimally and in conjunction with one another. Other safety features include a total of nine standard 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 and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). In addition to these, a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) makes its Hyundai debut on the Equus. COLORS Equus offers four exterior color choices and three interior theme choices. Exterior colors are White Satin Pearl, Black Noir Pearl, Granite Gray and Platinum Metallic. Interior themes are Cashmere with genuine Birch Burl wood, Jet Black with genuine walnut wood and Saddle with genuine walnut wood. 8 comments: Hyundai Equus - U.S. Version Toyota was smart enough to know that a $60k car is going to be a tough sell when it’s being sold next to a $16k car at dealerships still using the low-rent "no credit, no problem" tag lines.
 Then when it is pointed out to them that the Genesis sedan (V6 and V8) numbers are combined with the 20K 4cylinder Coupe and the V6 Coupe, those number look glaringly bad.
 The Genesis looks like it has done well but this is gonna be harder to sell. Let’s hope their ad agency is up to challenge.
 A US Version? Wow that’s very intriguing. How about the percentage of competition? Is it marketable?
 Yes, it’s interesting to watch people tout how "well" the Genesis is doing, and using the monthly sales numbers for the bases of their argument.
 so, Hyundai is offering comfort huh? With the idea of having a rear based entertainment inside it, consumers will surely love staying there for long hours. But in contrast, its appearance was not really that appealing to my taste. The design was very common.
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4.6L DOHC Tau V8 engine
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Posted on
11.9.2010 @ 23:54