Hyundai is taking the next step in the company’s quest to dominate the automotive market. First, the company started with the Genesis Coupe and Sedan, attacking such cars as the Infiniti G37. Now, with the upcoming 2010 Hyundai Equus, the company is gunning for the luxury sedan niche occupied by the likes of the Lexus LS460 and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
In a recent review of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, we noted that Hyundai is following Toyota’s old formula of copying another brand’s design and modifying it slightly. This car will continue that philosophy. At this moment, only pre-production photos are available from the 2009 New York Auto Show, but the car has the distinct overall body shape of the Lexus LS460. The front end is very similar to the current S-class with headlights, front grille and bumper virtually identical to the Mercedes.
Powering the Equus will be the current 4.6 liter V8 motor from the top-of-the-line Genesis Sedan or a new 5.0 liter V8 variant with 420 horsepower. It will be riding on an extended Genesis Sedan platform. Judging by the market this car is gunning for, we can assume the ride will be soft, yet responsive for highway cruising.
At an estimated price tag of $96K, it will also be less expensive than the S class as a whole. However, $96K is still quite steep for a company that’s recently gone upscale. It will be interesting to see how the price evolves between now and when the Equus is released, as that is certainly going to be an important consideration for buyers in the market for a luxury sedan with that high a budget. Since this car is slated as a 2010 model, it is very likely to be released by the end of 2009.
-KF
Kia Koup Concept from 2008.
It looks like Hyundai is positioning its Kia brand as a Scion fighter. They’ve just introduced the Kia Soul, with the best car commercial in a long time (the cute hamsters), which is a direct challenge to the Scion xB. At the 2009 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Kia unveiled the Forte Koup – taking aim at the Scion tC.
Hyundai is on a major roll at the moment with the award-winning Genesis sedan and coupe, and is going after the right market segments at the right times. They are out-doing Toyota at its own game, which Toyota warned everyone of about 3 years ago. Their quality is up to par with Toyota and Honda, they have world-class designs, a top notch warranty, and they undercut the competition’s prices. Hyundai has come a long way in the last 10 years or so.
The Forte Koup is based on the Kia Koup concept from last year, and its styling doesn’t hide the fact that it’s going after the Scion tC. It will be offered with a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine producing 156HP and 144TQ, and an optional 2.4 liter powerplant with 173HP and 168TQ. Either way, just the fact that you can get it with the 6 speed manual transmission already bests the Scion’s 5 year old model.
2010 Kia Forte Koup. Look out, Scion tC! Here come the Koup.
Since Scion is getting the tC’s replacement ready in early 2010, as a 2011 model, we are looking at quite a battle between these two automakers come first quarter of 2010. With similar vehicles going after similar demographics, it’ll come down to styling and pricing. Scion will keep its all-new tC in the high $17k range or low $18k, and Kia has not announced pricing on the Forte Koup – but expect Kia to undercut Scion by about $2,000 or so. A full test of the Kia Forte Koup will be available as soon as we get our grubby hands on it.
-KF