Automotive Trends

It is hard to believe that it has been 30 model years since Hyundai introduced the lowly Excel to the United States.  Priced at $4995 it pretty much was undercut in price (and quality) by only the Yugo GV.  The Excel has long left the market and Hyundai has slowly and surely been moving the top end of its brand upmarket.  Rather than introduce a separate marque to sell premium cars Hyundai has simply added the range topping Equus.  The ‘base’ Equus we piloted starts at $61,250.  For that type of money one could purchase a whole fleet of Excels if one were skilled enough to find any unlikely survivors.  And yet at just over sixty grand the Equus undercuts similarly spec’ed flagships like the 7-Series and A8.  This pricing strategy mirrors that of Lexus in its inaugural 1989 model year.  Has Hyundai truly refined its skills to offer a legitimate luxury cruiser capable of threatening the established BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus offerings?  Will the well-to-do be willing to shop for their Equus in the same showroom as those who are negotiating for low monthly payments on an Elantra?  Watch as we ponder these questions in the video above.