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Hyundai's Genesis G90 stretches out back home in Korea

Hyundai is getting serious about competing in the luxury market with the launch of its expanded Genesis line. And in the Far East it calls home, that means stretched limousines. Enter the new EQ900L. The Korean automaker's new luxury flagship stretches the wheelbase of the vehicle we now know as the Genesis G90 – or as the Equus in its previous iteration – by an extra 11.4 inches to give the top executives at Samsung and LG extra room to stretch out while in transit from the office to the Psy concert. The elongated cabin space also allows for first-class reclining rear seats, adjustable in 18 directions and upholstered in semi-aniline leather. A long center console runs the entire length of the cabin loaded with everything from ambient lighting to a Lexicon sound system. The same 5.0-liter Tau V8 still provides motivation, channeling 425 horsepower through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four of the 19-inch wheels. That may not be enough to keep pace with the V12-powered Mercedes-Maybach S600 we get here, but it comes close to the S500 version sold overseas. Unfortunately for those of us living outside of Korea, the EQ900L is only being offered in its domestic market for the time being, where titans of industry can pick one up for 100 million won – equivalent to $84,000 at current exchange rates. Related Video:

Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand not going to Europe this decade

After dipping into the premium market with the Genesis and Equus sedans, Hyundai made headlines with the planned launch of a separate premium brand, Genesis. It starts with the renamed G80 (nee Genesis) and redesigned G90 (Equus) sedans here in the US, but European consumers will have to wait. "To launch a premium brand in Europe is a challenge and it's an even bigger challenge if you don't have the products you need for the market," Hyundai Europe Chief Operating Officer Thomas Schmid told Automotive News Europe. "Europe won't see it before 2019. The main reason is we need different powertrains." Powertrains aren't the brand's only shortcoming. With the G70 – a 3 Series competitor – coming as the third showroom product, the brand also won't have a competitor in the increasingly important crossover ranks. As Schmid told ANE, "we don't yet see the right moment to do it because at the end, we want to be successful, and successful also means profitable." Initially, Genesis will launch in North America, the Middle East, China, and South Korea. Pushing back the European launch to 2019 or 2020 should give Genesis some breathing room, ANE reports. By that point, the company will offer six different vehicles, including two CUVs. According to Schmid, the brand would launch in Europe with just five vehicles. At halfway through 2016 and nothing but the G70 on the radar, expect an aggressive product launch schedule in the coming years if Genesis is going to stick to that timeline. Related Video: Featured Gallery Genesis Hybrid Sport Sedan Concept View 10 Photos News Source: Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Genesis Genesis Hyundai Crossover Luxury

Hyundai predicts 250-mile electric vehicle by 2020

Hyundai will start selling a battery-electric version of its Ioniq in the US later this year, but the company is ready for much more. Hyundai is forecasting having an EV with a 250-mile single-charge range by the end of the decade. Hyundai executive Ahn Byung-ki told Automotive News that, while electric-vehicle technology development has been steady during the past six years, it will accelerate during the next two. Think of it as the "hockey stick" effect, but for South Korean automakers instead of Silicon Valley tech giants or Canadian hockey players. The Ioniq, which will also get plug-in and hybrid variants, will have a single-charge range of 110 miles when the EV version arrives in November. After that, Hyundai and its Kia and Genesis sister companies may develop a 200-mile range EV for 2018, and then that 250-mile-range car for 2020. Byung-ki isn't concerned that the Ioniq will quickly be outdated because the longer-range vehicles will also be priced higher. The Hyundai executive also said the company had no plans to take on Tesla Motors in the luxury EV market. The Ioniq EV was unveiled at the New York Auto Show this past March. A hybrid version of that sedan debuted in South Korea in January, while the EV went on sale in South Korea last month. Overall, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis are planning to introduce 10 hybrids, eight EVs, eight plug-in hybrids, and two hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles by the end of the decade. The Hyundai group's only electric vehicle currently sold in the US is the Kia Soul EV, which has a single-charge range of 93 miles as well as some dancing hamsters in its commercials. Neither the Tesla Model 3 nor the Chevrolet Bolt can make that second claim. Related Video: