- The base Hyundai Equus Signature model starts below $60,000.
- An Ultimate model with a deluxe rear seat and a refrigerator comes in at $65,400.
- Hyundai Equus sales begin in December 2010.
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California — It's official: The 2011 Hyundai Equus will be the most expensive Korean vehicle in the U.S. market when it goes on sale in December. Hyundai on Tuesday said the base Equus Signature model will start at $58,900, while the uplevel Equus Ultimate will start at $65,400. Prices include a $900 destination charge.
The top-of-the-line Equus Ultimate undercuts its chief competitor, the 2011 Lexus LS 460, by $855. The LS 460 starts at $66,255, including an $875 shipping charge.
There are no options on the Equus, said Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson in a phone conversation with Inside Line. When asked if the automaker expected any negative reaction to the Equus and its Lexus-like pricing, Johnson said no.
"Everything we've seen shows people are surprised at how much you get for the price point," Johnson said. "Besides, everyone said we couldn't sell a $40,000 [Hyundai] Genesis. And we've been able to do that."
He said the main point of the Equus is to "test the water" in the U.S, in order to gauge whether American consumers are ready for a Korean luxury vehicle. "We're not trying to sell it in large volumes," Johnson said. "We are targeting a total of 2,000-3,000 units annually in the U.S."
Both trim levels of the Equus come with a standard Apple iPad. The iPad has an interactive owner's manual and can also be used to schedule maintenance pickup and delivery on the car.
The list of standard equipment in the base Equus includes 19-inch chrome wheels; a pre-collision system; adaptive headlights; adaptive cruise control; 12-way power driver and 10-way power passenger seats (with heating and cooling, plus massage for the driver); reclining rear seats (with heating); a leather-wrapped dash; real wood interior trim; a 608-watt, Lexicon 7.1 surround-sound audio system with 17 speakers; and a navigation system with XM traffic updates.
The 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate drops passenger count to four via twin bucket seats in the rear. This layout includes a "first-class passenger-side rear seat" with leg support and a massage system. Both rear seats are cooled. Additional features on the Ultimate include rear-seat vanity mirrors; a rear entertainment system with an 8-inch monitor; a refrigerator; a power trunk lid and a forward-view cornering camera.
Both trim levels of the Equus come with a standard 385-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 linked to a six-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. All maintenance is covered by Hyundai for the duration of the sedan's 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, and the automaker says it will pick up and drop off your Equus, providing either a Genesis or an Equus as a loaner car.
Inside Line says: Hyundai's pricing strategy on the Equus should make for one interesting horse race versus its Japanese competition. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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kylepre25 says:
04:48 PM, 11/04/2010
Ok heres my deal with Hyundai. Hyundai was known for being a cheap unreliable car. Then in 2000 a new owner took over gearing the company towards success in quality,safety and reliability. I would totally buy this car over an Acura of any kind,despite what anyone has said here. This equus is breaking the mold with incredible warranty, high tech features, free maintencefor 5yrs/60k miles. Its an amazing car at an amazing price. there is tons of value in this car. I know everyone says that people who buy this kind of car buy for the name. Yea, I get that. But another part of buying the name is having a sense of prestige. I think personally, a huge prestige factor would be having a car that no one else has. It is 7 series quality for the price of a 5 series. I do currently sell cars for Hyundai, and I may be a little biased on this subject. But its possibly because I have more information and knowledge on the vehicle. I definatly think it is worth someones time to take a look if they are considering a car in that class.
tbone85 says:
04:05 PM, 10/21/2010
"This still says HYUNDAI on the back"
Shakespeare had a line about the belief that the same car with a different name on it's back fundamentally changes it's nature.
"... A brand known for cheap, inexpensive vehicles like the Accent and Elantra.""
Ya know, I heard this same argument 20 years ago except they substituted the names Civic and CRX. Hyundai is also known as the brand that produced the Genesis and the Sonata, which are vehicles that need no apologies. Things change, products emerge, competiitve advantage shifts. It's the way of life; adapt or die.
20 years ago IBM was a hardware company, Apple was a computer company, and Motorola was the leading car phone brand. Depending on past glories instead of producing continually better product is a sure fire recipe for falling back to the pack. Toyota and Honda are both guilty of this today just as the Big Three were 20 years ago. Hyundai is on a hot streak, and consumers have responded.
hondalvr4life says:
11:38 AM, 10/20/2010
@ j2j
The RL is still cheaper than this and at least its an Acura... This still says HYUNDAI on the back... A brand known for cheap, inexpensive vehicles like the Accent and Elantra. Its just like when VW introduced the Phaeton in 2004 and it was a flop. Wouldn't be surprised if this Equus suffers the same faith.
iskch says:
10:43 AM, 10/20/2010
Hyundai is going to sell more than the limited 2000 to 3000 units they are looking for.
lions208487 says:
07:32 AM, 10/20/2010
Hyundai has indeed accomplished what Lexus did more than a decade ago. However, for that price I would have to buy an M56 instead.
I can't say yet if I like this car or not, because I have yet to test drive it. After driving the Genesis Coupe and Sedan, I can honestly say that the build quality of a Hyundai is getting rather close to it's Japanese competition. Still more reliable then an Audi, so it deserves a look.
superm says:
06:12 AM, 10/20/2010
Timing is quite interesting. Mercedes/BMW had roughly 20 years to establish US-wide distibution, got fat and happy, and then Lexus came along for some competition.
Lexus has had roughly 20 years of US distribution...and now here is Hyundai!
fortstring says:
05:10 AM, 10/20/2010
I would hardly call those "the same options."
fortstring says:
05:08 AM, 10/20/2010
@cmike2780 who said: "An $850 difference from your competition will make the Equss irrelevent from the start. An equally priced LS will most likely carry the same options with better quality, so I really don't understand what the apeal would be."
Uhm. Obviously you were too hasty to judge to notice that the *TOP OF THE LINE* Equus will be $850 cheaper than the *BASE* LS460. And you completely blew over the features list (I mean, just look at it!).
"The list of standard equipment in the base Equus includes 19-inch chrome wheels; a pre-collision system; adaptive headlights; adaptive cruise control; 12-way power driver and 10-way power passenger seats (with heating and cooling, plus massage for the driver); reclining rear seats (with heating); a leather-wrapped dash; real wood interior trim; a 608-watt, Lexicon 7.1 surround-sound audio system with 17 speakers; and a navigation system with XM traffic updates.
The 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate drops passenger count to four via twin bucket seats in the rear. This layout includes a "first-class passenger-side rear seat" with leg support and a massage system. Both rear seats are cooled. Additional features on the Ultimate include rear-seat vanity mirrors; a rear entertainment system with an 8-inch monitor; a refrigerator; a power trunk lid and a forward-view cornering camera."
ed341 says:
03:46 AM, 10/20/2010
"The Lexus LS400 was a sales hit primarily due to its original $35K MSRP."
In 1990 that was the equivalent of $60,000...
That crazy Toyota, thinking they can play with the big boys, what a failure that'll be..
cz_75 says:
09:31 PM, 10/19/2010
I think this car would hit somewhere near where the first Lexus LS400 did if Hyundai did two things - lowered the price closer to $50K and branded it separate from the rest of the Hyundai line, taking the Genesis with it. Of course, Toyota had a better reputation than Hyundai when they rolled out Lexus, but those first Camry-based Lexi were a joke next to the LS sedan.