The Equus is Hyundai's flagship model, and the South Korean carmaker has high hopes for it, pitting it against competition such as the Lexus LS460 and Mercedes-Benz S550, but sold at a much lower price than its rivals. Hyundai is having high hopes for the Equus, having seen the Genesis sedan gaining numerous accolades while on sale in the US.

"We've applied the lessons in engineering excellence we've learned with Genesis to the Equus, while adding a new level of customer experience that will further differentiate our take on luxury from the traditional premium brands," said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America.

Based on a lengthened version of the Genesis' rear-wheel-drive platform, the Equus is 182mm longer than its younger sibling, measuring in at 5159mm. There is even a long-wheelbase version on sale in South Korea, which measures 5460mm in length.

The Equus is powered by Hyundai's 4.6-litre Tau V8 engine that produces 385bhp and 451Nm of torque. The unit is mated to a ZF 6-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC manual control, which is able to propel the luxury sedan from 0-100km/h in 6.4 seconds.

Among the equipment featured on the Equus include an electronically-controlled air suspension and Hyundai's Vehicle Stability Management system (VSM) that optimally manages Electronic Stability Control (ESC), the electronic parking brake, smart cruise control and the seatbelt tensioning system.