cjf_moraga

I visited the San Francisco Autoshow today and had a chance to look at the Hyundai Equus (Excuse?) which is targeted at the S/7/LS/A8 segment in North America next year. I started counting all the design cues ripped off the S-Class (And the 7 and LS for that matter) but lost count... (And that was only from the outside)

- Identical MB metallic button seat controls on the doors.
- Almost identical headlamps and similar front styling.
- Hideous faux hood ornament.
- Preposterous grille.
- Inset rear door window blinds.
- Almost identical wood inlays on doors and front console rear.
- Command style controller on front console.
- Recessed tail pipes (OK everyone is doing that)
- W212 E Class rear fender styling

Some iPhone pictures I took below. There is an article here also:

http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/eq...irst-ride.html

I am normally quite rational, but if there is one company I genuinely despise it is Hyundai - a company totally devoid of any design sensibility, originality, and whose factories in a sane and just world would be targeted for immediate bombardment by multiple-megaton nuclear warheads followed by a tsunami or two. (I feel better now)

Chris

Kar don

Ehh, I dont see too much similar to the S550. What I see as direct copies are the keyless go trunk closer buttons and the NAV display screen that show the dark outline of the car in the menu.

Jan AMG

That's a hideous copycat.

WSH

Lexus has been accused of similar stuff for 20yrs

But even as a kid (when Lex launched) always was suspicious of Asian (or US)-engineered chassis, brakes and safety structures/systems

Took 20yrs but latest Toyo sudden accel accusations reveal their weak engineering capabilities/safety logic (even after 20yrs of attempted copycatting)...and where there's one cockroach, there are usu many more

Any monkey engineer can develop a nominally fast or cheap car if allowed to not properly engineer safety, reliability (esp systems/networks that pose safety risks if fail suddenly while at speed), and daily-useability

Arguably most affluent customers are clueless about cars and driving dynamics/safety, so will blindly buy based upon price or brand or space or styling...not surprisingly, many of these cars/SUVs can be sales/profit successes for yrs, despite awful engineering obvious to anyone with common sense

RajwanyS550

even if they copy the whole car, which they have not, no mercedes buyer will give it a second glance. I bought a benz not only for stylin but also for its safety, reliability, quality, performance and what not.
Hyndai is a cheap car company with no symbol of its own.

newyorktoLA

At least it is more fuel efficient. I actually like the new styling, but the interior looks outdated on this Hyundai.

RajwanyS550

corolla is fuel efficient...

Chauss

FWIW-
The Toyota sudden acceleration syndrome is caused by using all weather floor mats on top of the factory mats (that are held in place with hooks- as they should be)....Dodge had the exact same issue with the Viper and sent out a retrofit kit with hooks that went into the carpet and safety catches to clip to the floor mats. -That's all....carry on!

soldier2304

I see absolutely no resemblance to the S class. Instead, they seemed to have taken a lot from the new Lexus LS460. Rear exterior, front, interior door panels. I have to admit for a Hyundai, it doesn't look bad at all.

cjf_moraga

Right. Lexus is the likely target for this thing. (You have to see it up close and personal) All credit to Toyota that they did their homework when they took on MB 20 years ago and they invested heavily to build a brand based around dealership service as much as the cars. There is none of that in this case - nothing.

The almost pathetic belief that copying (stealing) styling cues and design layouts from existing premium sedan makers will attract buyers is both patronizing and insulting to the prospective S/7/LS/A8 customer. We buy our cars for a whole package of factors - technology, quality, service, history, image, respect, and not the least confidence. This is not the same type of customer as the Genesis buyer looking for a more luxurious Avalon for the same money.

I despise Hyundai because they regard their prospective customers as idiots.

Chris

newyorktoLA

For a Hyundai that looks nice and has great fuel ratings, its not that comparable to an Corolla (body is not so nice). Plus, our environment needs fuel efficient cars. Thank god for the S400 and this Hyundai (Hyundai's really are not that bad and it is a good car; it just is not as recognized as other car brands). Don't get me wrong, I'm still for Mercedes

FraKctured

Hyundai has been ripping Benz design for years now, but it is done so shoddily that any real car connoisseur can see it from a mile away.

They can steal some of the window dressing, but let's see a 10 year old Hyundai Scamnota tested against a 10 year old Benz. There's more to design than the lights and the hood angle...

Martinsvi

Toyotas without any floormats have also had this same sudden acceleration issue, so I dont know if it is totally fixed yet.
As far as copycats the japanese car companies have been the most brazen about it.
As far as Hyundai, they may be taking some styling cues and other features directly from the germans but they arent alone. Safety wise, It aint a Benz, but it is better than some of the other Jap companies, and they do stand behind their product better than the Japanese.
I would buy them before Honda, Nissan, or Subaru and probably Toyota and Mazda as well.(Including all the highend Jap cars)

AMGTTV8

Yeah, great copy - NOT!

LOL

The thing comes "loaded" with Hankook tires (see 4th picture)

Nice touch!

T0ked

The fix for the "unintended acceleration" is a shorter gas pedal. If you have your mats scrunched up in the foot well and unhooked, what do you want? Anyway, I think the car looks decent. It is a mish-mash of everything out there. I see tons of S and LS in that car. My opinion on aesthetics alone, it does seem to flow well, though.

cjf_moraga

OK, another one for you... The Hyundai CLS.... Oh... its "fluidic sculpture design language"...

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/02/2...-la-auto-show/

Chris

T0ked

ROTFL. Oh wow. Now that's... um... interesting.

Red Marko

I see things little bit differently here.
Why would I be annoyed.
Hyundai, Lexus, Infiniti and others, they all copy from Germans. So what. Learn to ignore (not literally of course)them on the road, that's it.
How can you be upset that it started to rain or that the bee is flying next to your ice cream or somebody is wearing fake Patek. You get the picture, I'm sure.
So enjoy your car, don't get pissed off that somebody is driving something else (even parasite/wannabe Mercedes)
Lesser chance of heart attack.

2005E500

As the old adage goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

cjf_moraga

Here is the point. There is a difference between design that is superficially similar - often because it is constrained by practical considerations, and outright theft. Good design does not come for free. It takes time and effort to get it right. The best design is often very simple, and yet only when someone comes up with the idea does it look a blindingly obvious solution and get taken for granted. For example, the "seat shaped" metallic electric seat controls on an S-Class door may not seem a big deal. However they are one of the more elegant aspects of the interior (look at the plastic buttons in a new 7-series) and a big part of what gives the car its sense of style and character. Well Hyundai has outright stolen this feature in both style and execution for their Equus, and in doing so cheapens its distinctiveness and value. The same is true for the frankenstein CLS look in the new Sonata or any other example.

As a (once) professional designer myself, I find the theft of obvious design and style cues very offensive. I can admire Chris Bangle or even the current Acura stylists for trying something different, even if the execution is not to everyones taste. At least they try, innovate, and create a style that is their own.

Saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" does not cut it in the case of a company like Hyundai. I know many will argue that everyone does it, but Hyundai is in a league of their own. (Along with some obscure Chinese manufacturers) They do not try, they do not innovate, they degrade and cheapen. They are thieves - nothing less, making money on styling ideas and cues stolen from the efforts and investment of others.

Chris

zam2000

Very well put.

Hyundai enable people to enjoy luxury car & nice ride, and decent price. As for their style, if Mercedes/Lexus have no problem with it, then it's fine.

Check out their sale number, 40% gain YOY. Like it or not, it's the only thing matter.

CL55_Serge

In a few Eastern cultures, it's acceptable to copy and not be original in design. We see this with cars like Hyundai and Kia, for example. We also see that across industries, like Huawei in China ripping off Cisco router h/w design and even running Cisco software while offering it as their product. Thousands of examples...

In most Western cultures, this is considered to be shameful. Driving that Hyundai in those pictures is just like wearing a fake Rolex, buying one for your wife is like giving her a fake Gucci purse.

RajwanyS550

Like your sig

carsnob

Agreed. Definately posers. And we know how members in this forum feel about posers.
You definately do a double take when you see the front of a Hyundai. WTF is that? I first asked myself. The posers of this world feel that why should they spend the money on an MB when you can look the part? They obviously don't know squat about cars and it's their problem As for the company, Hyundai is pathetic that they would copy a car so blatently and pawn it off as such a wonderful car. Those that write the Hyundai articles with glowing reports are either paid off or no nothing about cars.
Let all the Hyundai posers carry on thinking they've arrived for cheap. Then one day they may drive a B or C class and realise what a huge difference there is between the car companies. Not to mention between the C class and the S class..

CL55_Serge

I wonder if there is a similar thread like this about our S-class cars on the Bentley and Rolls Royce forums :-)