Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Just based on the current lineup? Probably.
Hyundai has a full size RWD V8 luxury sedan. (2 if you count the Equus and the Genesis sedan separately)
Honda has....ummmm....an aging FWD/AWD V6 RL.
Hyundai has a RWD turbo4/V6 sport coupe.
Honda has.....ummmmm......a minivan with a little truck bed?
With Toyota, the lineup is a little better matched but as we've seen with the Sonata and the Camry, Toyota is definitely in Hyundai's sights. The Equus went straight for the Lexus LS460. And in some ways, they succeeded in besting the Japanese luxury king. The valet isn't going to park your Equus in a prominent spot like he would a LS460L, after all, it is just a Hyundai. But you get a car that is as quiet, as smooth, as luxurious...as everything for less than a base LS460. And that's just what Lexus did to Mercedes Benz with the first LS400 over 2 decades ago.
Respectfully, I disagree about the LS400 comparison.
The LS400, when introduced in '89, absolutely TROUNCED the luxury car establishment by introducing a car that set new standards for quality, performance, refinement and smoothness. The fact that it was a lot cheaper than the Mercedes/BMW/Jaguars of the day helped propel the model into a brand that is now at the head table with all of the prestige manufacturers.
The Equus is merely a "me-too" design, that does not innovate - it just merely attempts to replicate and reverse-engineer technology to a lower price point. What it succeeds at is being a superb town-car along the lines of the Ford Panther platform vehicles.