Hyundai hopes the luxury Equus sedan finds a niche in U.S.

[Sal Collaziano]

HWASEONG, South Korea — With Hyundai having found unlikely success selling luxury cars in the U.S., now it's toying with the idea of moving up in price point again — to $75,000 sedans.

It's exploring whether Equus, an updated large sedan that just went on sale in South Korea, can take on the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS 460L in America.

Long known for cheap cars and a 10-year warranty aimed at dispelling a reputation for inferior quality, Hyundai is hoping its luxury strategy will burnish its image. It already has two luxury models in the U.S. under the name Genesis, a midsize sedan and a sporty coupe.

Success of the Equus "would decisively shift public opinion in our favor. It would be the capstone," said spokesman Oles Gadacz at Hyundai's Research & Development complex outside Seoul.

This summer, the South Korean automaker plans to ship 100 Equus luxury sedans to U.S. dealerships to quietly gauge what American customers think about the model. Equus also was displayed at the New York International Auto Show last month simply to gauge reaction. "We have modest expectations," Gadacz said.

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[Sal Collaziano]

It's exploring whether Equus, an updated large sedan that just went on sale in South Korea, can take on the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS 460L in America.

How sad... We're talking about America here - and we don't even have a luxury car to be named...

This summer, the South Korean automaker plans to ship 100 Equus luxury sedans to U.S. dealerships to quietly gauge what American customers think about the model. Equus also was displayed at the New York International Auto Show last month simply to gauge reaction. "We have modest expectations," Gadacz said.

I wonder if this means these 100 Equus vehicles can be purchased.. Or will they simply be for show?

 

[jwaters943]

The Equus should start around $45k and top out around $55k. At $75k I wouldn't even give it consideration. Sorry, I really love my Genesis, but the value aspect is a big motivator for me. Price it too close to the LS460 and I'd rather get the Lexus if for no other reasons than resale and dealership treatment.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

The Equus should start around $45k and top out around $55k. At $75k I wouldn't even give it consideration. Sorry, I really love my Genesis, but the value aspect is a big motivator for me. Price it too close to the LS460 and I'd rather get the Lexus if for no other reasons than resale and dealership treatment.

Absolutely. Whoever wrote that article has a bad source. Hyundai is not going to start the Equus anywhere near $75k.. The Lexus LS460 starts at $63,825. They're not stupid... I can see it starting at $50k, however.. It might top out at around $65k.. Much more than this and Hyundai will fail. Most people would rather have a Lexus LS460 without all the goodies than a Hyundai with everything for the same price. Hyundai needs to make sure a fully loaded Equus doesn't cost much more than what a Lexus LS460 starts at...

 

[StefanProdan]

The other issue isn't what it starts at but what it tops out at. You can EASILY get the s-class and LS460 above 100 grand even with the base engines, maybe if the Equus had a similar option pricing to the Genesis where you get all sorts of stuff for $5-10k extra and so with the things you'd actually want on it it'd be a lot cheaper?