Hyundai

[badgalbetty]

I was reading something on the beeb this am when I noticed something on the page about Hyundai Luxury Cars........how can be I thought to myself. You all remember hyundai's right. I was blown away by what I saw.
Hyundai Equus. I think the spelling is right, BTW I live under a rock and had no clue they were making a $64,000 car with 385 hp from the factory. I was very surprised.....

[zooom]

YEAH...Hyundai has made some stuff that does not export...I think I recall the Equus being a feature on Top Gear and James May drove a couple of Sumo Wrestler's to a meet in it and they looked right comfortable and had space...

the Genesis sedan is on point in some ways in direct comparo with the Benz E class and BMW 5 Series sedans...and the fact that the government still helps subsidize their cars for to help keep them cheap and affordable after export benefits them greatly for market penetration....they have come a long long long way since the 1986 Hyundai Excel that hit our shores in the good ole US of A.

they make great forklifts though!

[Charlief]

60 minutes did a segment on Hyundai early this year and it showed how they progressed. Chipping away at market share year after year.  Their products have come along way and honestly if I was in the market for a car I would not hesitate to check them out.

[Artful]

They had the balls to make a RWD coupe and gave it the option of a turbo four or a potentish V6. They're ok in my book.

[Randimus Maximus]

Hyundai is certainly making some attractive and potent rides these days.

The Equus goes on sale here this fall.

The Genesis Sedan is mighty nice, with a 3.8L V6 or a 4.6L V8.  Both are plenty powerful.  The car is very well built and pretty hard to pick apart, besides a few minor fit and finish issues.

[Bladecutter]

I just watched an article on Motor Trend on tv the other day about this car.
They said it was pretty good, but not quite there yet.

Here's some more info from them about the car:

http://www.motortrend.com/auto_shows/new_york/2010/1004_2011_hyundai_equus/specs.html

This one is a first test drive in Korea.
They even say to wait for the 2012 version to come out, because it will have a 5.0 V-8 engine with direct injection, pushing out 429 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1007_2011_hyundai_equus_drive/2012.html

Seems they are only expecting 3k sales per year in the US for this car.
They might just get those sales, if they reach the right people.

I like how they are pushing the technology aspect of cars, by going direct injection on more engine models, available in more cars than most of the competition. Some even come with turbos, like the Sonata. Imagine, a family car that give great performance, along with respectable fuel mileage. And the commercial with the smiling guy is kinda cool. Doesn't everyone want to feel like that when they're behind the wheel of their car?

They have come a long way, and are chipping away at the competition.

BC.

[zooom]

the other issue they may succumb to though is the stigma of it being a $60K Hyundai...VW had the same problem with the Phaeton...great car...but people looked at it as a $70K VW, not an $85K Audi in cheaper VW clothing....your more generally affluent car buyer is going to go for marquis nameplates when spending that kind of money....generally speaking....they are going to look at Cadillac and Lexus and Infinity and Acura and people still think of Hyundai as competition for Toyota, Honda, Nissan and so forth...just not in the same class for the cash...not saying the car isn't going to compete with them...just going to take a lot more for to reach and overcome THAT kind of buyer's objections...

[il d00d]

Here is a review of the Sonata from The Truth About Cars
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/10/review-2011-hyundai-sonata-se/

"Somehow, the Hyundai Sonata raised the bar for this class..."

I was following one of these around the parking garage the other day and was surprised to discover that it was a Sonata and not the Genesis when I got close enough to see a badge.  It is a pretty sharp-looking car.  For a four-door sedan, anyways.

Both the Genesis and Equus look like excellent first tries, so I think if Hyundai has made a mistake in trying to break into the luxury market, they have not taken on an alias, like Toyota:Lexus or Nissan:Infiniti.  Neither of these brands had a bad reputation to overcome (cough, 1986 Excel) and they still did it.

[Vindingo]

the other issue they may succumb to though is the stigma of it being a $60K Hyundai...VW had the same problem with the Phaeton...great car...but people looked at it as a $70K VW, not an $85K Audi in cheaper VW clothing....your more generally affluent car buyer is going to go for marquis nameplates when spending that kind of money....generally speaking....they are going to look at Cadillac and Lexus and Infinity and Acura and people still think of Hyundai as competition for Toyota, Honda, Nissan and so forth...just not in the same class for the cash...not saying the car isn't going to compete with them...just going to take a lot more for to reach and overcome THAT kind of buyer's objections...

I think you are spot on.  Those three brands Toyota, Nissan, and Honda got around this by creating a new name for their luxury cars.  Most people don't think Toyota when they see a Lexus, nor do they think Honda when they see an Acura.  Subconsciously we all know it's true, but people will feel better spending the $$$  if that Honda with a tuxedo on is called an Acura.     

[Bick]

Drove the Genisis a couple years ago, and was very impressed!

Without a second thought, I would take one before an E Class.

One thing not previously mentioned...  Genesis was originally intended to be a separate marque from Hyundai, like Acura, Infinity or Lexus, however due to economy starting to tank right at that time, it was not practical to build a separate dealer network.

[superjohn]

Hyundai is today what Toyota and Honda was back in the '80's. I like the direction they have taken, and their products are solid.

[muskrat]

10 year warranty is worth considering!  I drove the Genesis and enjoyed it.

[lethe]

How awesome would it be to slip one of these Hyundia V8s into something like a Camaro and proceed to piss off everyone at some local car show. 

[ducatiz]

We bought a 2011 Kia Sorento this past March, which is just a rebadged Hyundai Santa Fe.. same engines, same body, except that the Sorento has a 3rd row seat.

We would buy it again in a minute.  Wife commutes every day in it and has put 12k miles and it has been ZERO trouble. 

The only suck is that Hyundai/Kia makes awesome diesels but won't bring them to the States.  The diesel version of the Sorento gets 45mpg.

[ungeheuer]

How awesome would it be to slip one of these Hyundia V8s into something like a Camaro and proceed to piss off everyone at some local car show. 

Evil bastard