Hyundai Releases Sketches of its 2010 Equus Flagship Luxury Sedan

Hyundai has published a set of teaser renderings of its new flagship saloon that will be officially introduced in February, 2009. Codenamed VI, the new luxury sedan will sit atop the Genesis in Hyundai's car range serving as a replacement for the outdated Equus. The VI's design looks pretty aggressive in these pics, but then again all cars look good in teaser sketches...

Unlike the front-wheel drive Equus, the VI will adopt the Genesis' rear-wheel drive architecture as Hyundai wants to make it a more credible competitor against the Lexus LS460, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Powertrain options will. include a 3.8-liter Lambda V6 engine and a 4.6-liter Tau V8 while a top-of-the-range stretched limousine edition that will bow in the second half of 2009 will feature a 5.0-liter variant of the Tau V8.

Compared to the Equus, the VI will be longer, wider and taller measuring 5,160mm in length, 1,900mm in width and 1,495mm in height. The sedan's highlights will include a second-generation Vehicle Stability Management System (VSM2), a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) that employs a vision sensor to monitor traffic lane markers and a Pre-Safety Seatbelt System which on detecting an imminent front-end collision, will automatically reel-in the safety belts to maximize the safety of the occupants.

For the time being, Hyundai has no plans to export VI to the North American or European markets.