TheDetroitBureau.com has pulled out a few more details than we originally saw in this teaser image of the 2014 Hyundai Equus.
Like most of our automotive media colleagues, we’ll be heading back from Geneva about the time you read this report. That doesn’t mean the automotive world will take a breather and await our return. Certainly not Hyundai, which has dropped this image into our e-mail which we’re accessing by long-distance WiFi.
We’ve also enhanced the image just a wee bit to try to bring out a little more detail on what we’re told is the 2014 Hyundai Equus, the mid-cycle update of the flagship sedan the Korean carmaker introduced here almost four years ago. It will make its debut at the New York Auto Show less than three weeks from now.
Hyundai promises “exterior and interior design” enhancements. Though it’s difficult to spot many specific details, that appears to include updated headlights and revised LED accent lamps, as well as tweaks to the front fascia, bumper and foglamps. The turbine-style wheels also appear to be new.
The original 2011 Hyundai Equus.
The note we’ve received mentioned “30 new and enhanced features,” and high on the list of changes the maker points to ride, handling and vehicle control dynamics. Those are some of the areas that Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik has told TheDetroitBureau.com he personally wants to target, as they are probably the brand’s biggest weakness when it comes to targeting better-established competitors.
That’s all the more true in the high-line luxury segment where Equus is the newcomer. And life isn’t about to get easier for Hyundai considering we’ve recently seen or will soon get new flagships from top European and Japanese luxury brands including the Audi A8, Lexus LS, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Over the years, Hyundai has learned that it can use price to its advantage, at least initially, but in the longer-run, acknowledges Krafcik, it needs to offer a truly competitive product that can stand on its own, with or without a discount.
That’s not to say that Hyundai didn’t deliver some pleasant surprises with the Equus. It’s roomy, lavishly equipped and offers solid performance since the top V-8 was updated shortly after the initial launch.
What else might we look for in the 2014 Hyundai Equus? The maker also promises improved interior material quality, more advanced safety features and new driver technology displays, which we anticipate will include the use of large LED reconfigurable screens.
But we’ll have to wait a few weeks to confirm whether we’re right.