U.S. automotive sales Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Dodge and Nissan have all made it, and 2011 is expected to be Hyundai’s year.

In the realm of U.S. automotive sales, 8% is a magic number. When an automaker hits 8%, they know they’ve become one of the big guns. Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Dodge and Nissan have all made it, and 2011 is expected to be Hyundai’s year.

So sayeth market research firm Polk, and I’m tempted to agree. Hyundai and its partner-brand / internal rival Kia have steadily been evolving into truly world-class carmakers. They’re keenly priced, inoffensive to look at and comprehensively covered quality-wise – everything the vast majority of new car buyers want in this day and age.

Add to that the Little Automaker That Could is experiencing faster market growth than any other offshore-based company selling vehicles in the U.S.; topping the likes of Honda, Toyota and Nissan.

According to Polk, the biggest hurdles facing the South Korean carmaker are the need to add a pickup / ute to its range (see the Toyota Tundra and Honda Ridgeline for more on why this could be a problem) and a lack of focus in its brand image. After all, how does one derive a singular vision out of a range that includes at one end the US$12,445 Accent and at the other the US$58,900 Equus? It’s just not possible.

Still, it’ll be interesting to see how Hyundai’s market share will evolve in the future. With the U.S. automakers finally cleaning up their game and a dearth of low-cost imports on the horizon from China, there’s sure to be some exciting years ahead.

Source: Polk

Hyundai Evaluating the Creation of a Separate Genesis Brand to Compete with Lexus, May Build a BMW 3-Series Rival

If you were wondering what's next on the Hyundai and Kia Group's agenda of world domination, the answer is the addition of a third brand to the firm's portfolio to compete head on with Japan's Lexus and Infiniti, and possibly even Germany's finest, including BMW and Audi.

The luxury arm would most likely be called Genesis and include the South Korean firm's current rear-wheel drive offerings such as the Genesis Sedan and Coupe, plus the soon-to-be-launched onto the American market, Lexus LS-rivaling Equus.

The automaker, which saw its U.S. market share increase by an overly impressive 50 per cent in the past two years, would further enhance the range of the Genesis brand with a compact sports saloon in the likes of BMW's best-selling model, the 3-Series, and a crossover utility vehicle to compete with the Lexus RX 350.

The creation of the luxury arm is more than just a thought as John Krafcik, president of Hyundai Motor America, told The Wall Street Journal that the company has two branding scenarios under consideration.

The first and most likely to happen would be for Hyundai to launch the Genesis as a sub-brand and sell the cars in separate parts of its own showrooms. The other is to follow in the footsteps of Lexus and launch the brand into separate dealerships. One third option would be for the company to develop the aforementioned sedan and SUV models but keep the Hyundai branding for the time being.

"One of the keys to this plan is how well the Equus does. We don't need to make a decision for some time", Mr. Krafcik said on the branding question during an interview with journalists.

While Hyundai remains open to all options, Mr. Krafcik said that he is most concerned about launching a spin-off brand due to the costs related to the creation of a new network of dealers and that the company would need to make an additional $6,000 in revenue per each car sold by the outlets.

There appears to be a lot of enthusiasm among Hyundai dealers who are almost certain about the creation of the Genesis brand.

"The dealers are excited about the Equus, and it being the lynch pin for this Genesis brand," said Scott Fink, an owner of two Hyundai dealerships in Florida. "We feel like we can do what others have been unable to do. We think we can sell a luxury brand within the house of the mainstream brand."

Source: Wall Street Journal

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SEMA 2010: Rhys Millen Racing's Signature Edition Hyundai Equus

Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) is proving to be solid partner for Hyundai as for the third consecutive year, the two companies have joined forces at the SEMA Show. For this year's edition of the Las Vegas event, RMR customized Hyundai's new Equus luxury flagship with exterior, interior and performance upgrades.
On the outside, the Signature Edition Equus combines a two-tone carbon fiber and Red Bull Racing blue satin clear paint with an array of carbon fiber parts including mirror caps, front chin and rear deck spoilers, grille and exhaust outlet trims. The HRE 21-inch P40 wheels round off the exterior package.
The interior of the SEMA Show Equus sports RMR Signature Edition embroidered headrests and floor mats, and -hold on - ostrich hide leather seats with suede accents.
To improve performance, RMR's tuners bolted on a new air intake and sports stainless steel exhaust system adding an extra 30 horsepower to the V8 engine for a total output of 415-ponies. A 14-inch brake kit completes the upgrades.

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Hyundai Equus Receives the VIP Treatment and 450HP Turbo V8 by Mummbles Marketing [Updated]

[*Updated with photo gallery] And yes, we have a third tuned Hyundai Equus ready to take the ride to Las Vegas for the 2010 SEMA show - see the other two proposals here and here. This time the culprit responsible for the tune is Mummbles Marketing, which created the 450-horsepower-strong, VIP themed "Elegant Equus".
To bling it up a notch and capture the VIP look, the tuning shop added a five piece body kit as well as a raft of carbon fiber parts including the hood and trunk, plus 22-inch alloy wheels shod in tires size 245/30/22 up front and 265/30/22 at the back. The range-topping Hyundai's interior was also upgraded with custom leather seats, black suede details, and VIP-style curtains.
In addition, Mummble said it will install an Apple iPad to control certain aspects of the car such as ride height, curtains, audio system and windows.
As for the performance enhancements, these include a turbo kit that pushes the 4.6-liter V8 engine's output to a more satisfying 450-horsepower, an Air Lift digital air suspension and bigger brakes all around with six pistons and drilled rotors.
"The Equus is a well-rounded, luxurious car with pure functionality and high-end performance capabilities and our SEMA car will be built with many of the best tools and products for customizing a high-end luxury sedan," said Peter Colello, owner, Mummbles Marketing. "Mummbles' 'Elegant Equus' is the ultimate VIP vehicle and will definitely be a must-see car at this year's SEMA Show."

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Mummbles Elegant Equus:

• Legacy Innovations turbo kit
  • SPA turbo
  • S-Max wastegate
  • S-Max blow-off valve
  • S-Max front mount intercooler
  • S-Max catch can
  • Legacy Innovations OBD2 downpipe
  • Legacy Innovations aluminum intercooler tubing
• Nitrous Express kit
• Magnaflow dual-exhaust system

Modifications to the brakes, wheels, tires and suspension include:

• Air Lift digital air suspension
  • Air Lift extended air springs and struts (four)
  • Five gallon tank
• Wilwood big brakes kit (front)
  • Six piston brake calipers
  • 14" slotted / drilled rotors
• Wilwood big brakes kit (rear)
  • Six piston brake calipers
  • 13" slotted / drilled rotors
• 22" x 9.5" Work Equip E10 wheels (front)
• 22" x 10.5" Work Equip E10 wheels (rear)
• Falken FK452 tires
  • 245/30/22 front
  • 265/30/22 rear

Interior upgrades will include:

• Four glow shift gauges
• Southeast Carbonworks hydro-coating interior kit
• Idealistic Designs custom leather interior (gunmental / burgundy)
  • Seats, door panels, dash steering wheel and center consoles
• Black suede A, B, and C pillars
• Black suede headliner
• Junction Produce fusa / gintuna
• Junction Produce front door curtains
• Junction Produce rear door curtains
• Junction Produce rear curtains

Exterior modifications will include:

• BASF custom deep burgundy paint
• 717 Motoring five piece body kit
  • Front bumper
  • Side skirts
  • Rear bumper (with carbon fiber insert)
  • Rear wing
• Carbon fiber hood
• Carbon fiber roof overlay
• Carbon fiber trunk
• Carbon fiber B and C pillars overlay
• LightWurkz headlights (tinted)
• LightWurkz taillights (tinted)
• Tinted mirror signal

Mummbles Marketing will also upgrade the in-car entertainment features on the Equus, including:

• Two Apple iPads
• Apple wireless keyboard
• One 20" Pyle monitor
• Pyle DVD player
• Four 12" Infinity subwoofers
• Four Infinity Kappa Series amplifiers
• Infinity Kappa Series 5.25" components
• Three Infinity Kappa Series 6.5"
• JBL MS-8
• Mobile Spec wiring and accessories
• Optima battery
• Kinetik 80 amp power supply