Who would ever have believed you might hear the phrase $120k+ Hyundai during your lifetime?

I can just picture this sitting in the dealer showroom next to a $9k Accent. Mah ha ha ha ha

For my money, Hyundai is being really smart in unveiling version after version of their high-end auto. If they do enough of it then folks will probably just end up assuming these luxury vehicles have been around for awhile (i.e. if you see enough of something then you may just begin to question your own disbelief). That said, and correct me if I’m wrong, but even Cadillac has had difficulty selling cars around $100k. Sure, Hyundai has done an amazing job of amenities on a budget, but Cadillac already had a luxury reputation (it just doesn’t seem to extend to $100k two-seaters). It’s cool to see a former underdog building itself into such a success story, but I just wish an American car company was doing so well (still holding out hope on Ford’s renaissance).

Eat that Kim Jong-il.

Where is the Hyundai emblem? why not put it on it if they are so confident!

Lion- and feel free not to read this if you deem it to be beneath you- Cadillac’s mistake was trying to pawn off a $70k car for that $100k. Had the XLR been worthy of 6 figures it would have sold.

WOW . Hyundai is turning into a cop on steriods, there head is growing bigger everyday. Now thier attacking Mercedes, WHAT!

johnnycanuck- I think you missed the joke buddy

p.s. NO offense was meant.

Hey look! It’s a LexIniti.

NMOFGM, better hope there will never be an Asian US president because he’ll be sitting in an armored one of these instead of the Presidential Caddy.

It’s probably just me Lion. And speaking of which I’ve been herding cats (executives) all week so my perception of reality is probably a little off kilter at this point. Just a little edgy you might say. No offense taken!

There’s no Hyundai emblem for the same reason the whole car tries to look like a Maybach. At least they’re consistent in borrowing design elements from everyone else. Hyundai and luxury are usually not in the same sentence, imo…

Final kiss off for the Town Car, I hope.

h82w8 don’t forget they managed to include the rear quarter panels from the new E-Class, but that’s just the nature of business in the far east, whether it’s automobiles, furniture, whatever, they copy what sells, make it for less, sell it for less, and sell the hell out of it. I doubt we’ll see anything like this in the western hemisphere for some time though. For the price of a new S600 or a gently broken-in S65, Hyundai would have to hold my family hostage, and beat me senseless to get me to even consider buying one.

And I’m not picking on you, but “if it was worth $100k it would have sold” is a pretty weak argument. The XLR was a joke of a car. I’d probably get the Hyundai before I would get one of those!

why do asian car companies keep copying european and american car companies!?!?!?! OK first of all – 100K for a hyundai? if you really have money, you don’t go for a hyundai, no matter who you are or how much of a korean you are! i mean yeah hyundai is going “up” in the car market, and i say “up” because it is relative, it’s like saying “oh my kid is the smartest retard in his retard class” yeah he is the smartest but he is still a retard…

That was completely uncalled for. Try to come up with a more appropriate analogy. If you can’t, don’t even touch it.

sorry i hurt your feelings, here, have a maxipad…

ricky_b, not even close. The Town Car doesn’t go for anywhere near $120k US. In fact I’m surprised Hyundai would ask that much since you can get an LS460L for forty thousand less and almost as much power, to say nothing of the German offerings which are about as big but more powerful (and who already have contracts with armor companies) for the same price.

This Hyundai is pretty. But the numbers do’t add up.

JSi- That was just stupid !

there are plenty of die-hard asians and koreans out there….luckily, I’m not one of them!

JSi – The style is nothing like any Europeon or American car company. Boo hoo, it has 4 wheels and is longer and has a luxurious interior.. they’re copying! Props to Hyundai for a huge improvement and it’s strive to improve it’s image. If only rebadge motors can learn from them.

@ vic, you do have a point there, when you talk about rebadge motors? are you talking about lincoln and mercury? i mean this is not a very obvious copy (like chinese cars do) but i think that they are certainly taking some of the styles from buick… even lexus, you can certainly see some merc there also… my point is; a 60K+ hyundai is just not a reasonable concept… let’s face it, this car goes against the Cadi DTS limo…not the presidential one of course but the extended one… i don’t think that car goes for more than 90K even 80K… what would you rather have?

^LOL. Nobody wants to copy the Americans as far as car design goes, but come on dude… Invest in some new glasses. They even ripped off Lexus on the headlamps! It looks like someone parked their LS a little too close to the campfire and melted the front a bit. They are copying a car that copies other cars! It’s ok that they copied, nobody is saying it doesn’t look ok, but please, it sounds like you’re just experiencing a little “Hyundainial”. It’s ok dude. Just admit it.

hyundai stock was trading at 6 bucks a share in april, now it’s trading at 16 bucks a share…that’s good for an auto company not on the brink of disaster…they are making the right moves…scoff if you like, but you’ll be proven wrong…

JSi: You’d better give me a whole case of pads. It’s gonna hurt more when I shove it up your a$$, you stupid SOB. Guaranteed you don’t talk like that in front of people you don’t know. Maybe your degenerate friends. And bring all of ‘em–you’re gonna need ‘em. Jacka$$.

So it looks like a mix between a Lexus and a Merc. Makes sense if that is the market they are going for. I think Hyundai’s biggest problem at this point is name they have made for themselves, “We Make Cheap Cars.” Now they want to change their image. I can’t blame them. Would it have been better to setup a new company name for their upscale line of cars? Or would everyone just say they are high prices Hyundai’s? Who knows. But if they are trying to up things a bit and create better cars, I am for it; that’s better then the companies that just keep putting out the same garbage for years. I have never owned a Hyundai but they are looking better (but this one is definitely out of the price range).

NO WORDS have been confirmed…
If this is even being sold in the US, it will be around 70K maybe? (the Genesis cost MUCH more in Korea than the US)

lol @ johngalt…hahaha it took less than a line to get you this mad? hahaha c’mon buddy this place is to talk about cars not your mangina… lol

120K for a Hyundai?

No thank you, I don’t care if it can sprout wings and fly. Nothing against Hyundai, but if I had that much money to blow it would be spent on something European, or MAYBE a Cadillac…

i wonder how this could compare to the a8L w12.

No, JSi, I don’t care about your offer of feminine hygiene products. It only took one insensitive reference to children who made no choice that led to their conditions to get me this mad. Dismissing someone who points out the problem with it pisses me off further. People who make fun of “retarded kids” make themselves feel smarter by doing so. If that’s what it takes for you…

And if this is a forum for automobile discussion, you can leave the kids out of it. If you’re still young enough that you haven’t developed a sense of right and wrong about that kind of issue, maybe there’s time and hope for you. If you’re already old enough to know better, but it makes you feel better, then you’re screwed. And if that’s the case, and if there’s a god, then there’s also a special place… forget it.

To everyone else here: I apologize on JSi’s behalf for his comment, and on my own for ranting. Few things in life are big enough a deal to get worked up over, but this one is. But that’s just one reporter’s opinion. Suit yourselves. And thank you, spg900.

Well played johngalt… Respect…

well, this almost looks like a huge, stretched, rounded out Dodge Avenger. Bet you guys haven’t heard that one before!

Most of you guys are just badge snobs. IF the Equus was literally the best car in the world – it wouldn’t matter. You’re not judging the car at all. What really matters to most of you is what you think your neighbors might think of you IF you owned one. That’s how most of you [And indeed most people] judge a car. It’s interesting to see how some of you try to intellectualize your way through that reality – but it’s not working. [Except - of course - to those who are playing the same game] I’m willing to bet that if you took 100 people – and split them up into two rooms – and in one of those rooms was a Mercedes-Benz S550 and in the other room was another Mercedes-Benz S550 with all of the badges removed and replaced with Hyundai badges – the 50 in the room with the unaltered MB would respond far more favorably to that MB than would the 50 in the room with the ‘Hyundai’.

Do you realize why luxury cars are luxury cars Mr Canada?

IMAGE.

You could have exactly the same features in say… a Chevy as the best Mercedes money can buy and which one do you think would get more respect? I’m betting on the Benz…

Now I’m not into luxury cars personally. I’d never spend 120K on a car, but the point remains that no matter how nice Hyundai makes a car it won’t command the same prestige that a Mercedes or similar car would (At least not for a while). That’s life, that’s the world, get over it. It’s nothing against Hyundai, but the luxury car world is all about image, and as many have pointed out Hyundai is known for cheap, not luxury.

I wonder if Hyundai will eventually turn to a premium brand strategy much like the Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus marketing model. I’ve read rumours that the name Equus will in fact become their premium division but I don’t know if that is true.

2WheeledSpeed – IMAGE is EMOTIONAL. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with whether or not a car is a good car. Which is basically what I was saying. [And basically what you're saying too] Which brings me back to my ‘badge snob’ comment. But most guys here aren’t bashing the IMAGE – they are bashing the CAR. Which I think is unfair given the fact that I bet none of us have ever gotten any closer to the Equus Limousine than those two photos found above all of these messages.

looks like a damn maybach

Well, car bashing is par for the course on LLN… Doesn’t matter who makes it.

But for most people the car is an extension of themselves, it is as much an emotional choice as it is a practical one. People buy trucks to look tough, the Prius to look green, a Benz to look rich (Oversimplifying I know). So in a way, if the Equus doesn’t fit the image it’s supposed to does that mean it’s not that great of a car in its class no matter how awesome it really is? Just a thought.

it could sell to people who want to look rich and are not, and hope that people don’t know it is a Hyundai. it dose not have the badge and it looks expensive i think the 60k one would sell for that reason 120k i would have to agree. but a large semi large company may buy a few to transport impotent people in luxury cheep,instead of just one possibly.

im not saying it will or not but it may be possible on the optimistic side.

Not for a second do I think that I’m above being swayed emotionally when it comes to buying a car – but I like to think that I’m buying something MORE because it appeals to ME than whether or not it might appeal to my neighbor. [Or impress complete strangers as I'm driving down the street] Image is powerful though. Years ago a neighbor of mine drove a 25 year old Mercedes 190D [Or something like that] and was considered the ‘rich guy’. And these comments were often made by people who drove more basic cars that were worth 4 or 5 times as much. Even as a kid I couldn’t quite figure that out. IF a car – no matter how good – fails – image wise – to equal what it has been created to compete with – does that mean it’s not as good? I don’t think so. I think it’s important to always separate the ‘image’ [The 'fantasy'] from the car. [The 'reality'] If we fail to do that – we’re allowing someone or something to sway our opinion – to push us into something that might not suit our purposes. We give up our right to decide for ourselves what WE really want.

Styling aside at this point, what the heck’s with the name? What’s an ‘Equus’? That’s about the one of the worst names I’ve heard……

Here’s what Wiki says:

“Equus is a play by Peter Shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious/sexual fascination with horses………

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s just a bad image to associate with a new (or old) car……..

And Webster’s Dictionary says: “A genus of mammals, including the horse, ass, etc.”

that’s just as bad, the Hyundai Ass, not quite the same ring too it………

That’s one nice load of monkey crap
DrFill

Think Equus, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti….see a pattern?…the name doesn’t have to make sense. It just has to to look good on the rear deck of car.

I have seen the the regular (non-limo) Equus in person and I must say that it looked pretty good to me. Then again it’s a Hyundai, I’m sure you all now what I mean by that, it’s been explained many times before. They might one day be successful in trying to establish themselves as a Luxury brand, who knows, but I am not sure about this approach with $60-120K prices. It’s like the VW phaeton effect.

If they are trying to follow the path of Lexus/Acura/Infiniti, it’s going to be tough. Remember Toyata/Honda and Nissan were well established auto makers before they created their luxury brands.

CanadaCraig,
Please try not to sound so much like this guy,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc&feature=fvw

No offense intended
I hope you don’t take this the wrong way.

Badge snobs huh? Sit in the Hyundai. Sit in a luxury car from an actual luxury manufacturer. You might notice that the seat bottom is much shorter in the Hyundai. Knock on the plastics in the Hyundai or Infiniti or even a Cadillac versus a BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi, etc. I could go on for days…

Sure, some people buy expensive cars simply because they are expensive and some draw attention. SOME people buy cars (regardless of price) because of (among many things) DETAILS.

Why spend 20k on a watch when you could buy the replica off the street that tells perfectly good time for 500 bucks? Why buy the painting when you can buy the print? Some people have an appreciation for detail. Some couldn’t care less. C’est la vie.

Oh, and while you may be able to get some good options on a Chevrolet, you’ve got the better part of a decade (if ever) before it’s going to have what’s currently offered in an S-Class.

A long time ago I used to laugh at hyundai cars. Today, there is nothing to laugh at because they are on a major roll. I’ve never sat in a Equus but I sat in a Genesis and its an impressively built car with a high level of quality in terms of both fit and finish. I think comparing this Equus to a cadillac is an insult to the Equus.

atleast its not some camry looking granny lexus.

Elva
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine!
DrFill

Who are we meant to poke fun at now?? Hyundai going all exxy and all? I think we should just get back to criticising this for imitating an S-Class and failing miserably

Its hard to believe that this rides on the same chassis of the Genesis Coupe.

Hey reedfast – that IS me!! lol

anybody notice how big the pillars behind the driver are!
thats where they got the extra 11.8 inches from.

What a bold stand proposition for Hyundai to try to sale a 100K dollar car. This damming other car companies to say anything for their attempts to pass themselves as a luxury car company. But to be big, you have to dream big. But if you pay attention, they are trying to rid their kiddie affordable image and move upscale, and its working for them. While Hyundai moves up in the luxury world, Kia is becoming a teenage, kiddie, first car company that promotes individuality and uniqueness.

^ so now they have a company for your first car, and one that you buy when you are so old you don’t care what you buy.