Honda boss says Japanese can’t make a car like the Nano, and don’t want to either

Given that the Jazz isn't turning out to be all that successful in India, maybe Honda bosses should refrain from taking random digs at the Tata Nano...?

According to a Bloomberg report, , Fumihiko Ike, President – Asian Honda Motor Co., recently said in an interview that Honda has no plans to launch a car that can compete with the Tata Nano. ‘Japanese carmakers just can’t make a car like that, nor do they want to,’ said Ike. He went on to add that Honda is in the process of developing an all-new small car for the Indian and Thai markets, which will is likely to be launched in 2012.

When asked about the car’s pricing, Ike said Honda’s small car would be sold in India ‘at a price equivalent to the average annual salary.’ Now that seems a bit ambiguous, but we suppose Ike is probably referring to a price point of around Rs 3-4 lakh.

‘Compared with Europe and the US, recovery of these Asian economies [India and Thailand] has been slightly faster. Banks started loosening credit relatively early, which has helped because a high ratio of people buy cars and motorcycles on credit,’ says Ike. ‘There is a huge income disparity gap in these countries, and our new product will meet untapped demand.’

Going by the example of the Honda Jazz, which is definitely overpriced and which seems to have failed to take off in the Indian market, we hope Honda will do their homework well before launching their new small car here. Today they might be taking digs at the Nano (which, by the way, we think is a brilliant product that’s just right for India), but tomorrow Honda may also find themselves building a similar product not only for India, but for many other markets as well!

Ferrari announces yet another China-special 599 GTB!

A Ferrari 599 with a cracked eggshell paintjob?! Whatever next...!?!

The Italians, it seems, are in love with China. It was only yesterday when we spoke of a special-edition Ferrari 599 created for the Chinese market, and today we have one more! Ferrari has announced a one-off 599 GTB Fiorano China Limited Edition, signed by Chinese artist Lu Hao, which will be auctioned on the 3rd of November at a special auction event hosted by Ferrari, in Beijing.

While 10 units of the earlier China-special Ferrari 599 will be built, the new one will be limited to a production run of just one unit. Which is probably a blessing, since the cracked eggshell paintjob on the new one looks… rubbish! According to Ferrari, the car’s ‘very special exterior finish draws inspiration from Ge Kiln porcelain of the Song Dynasty. Lu Hao has blended traditional design elements with Ferrari’s innovative styling to create a truly unique vehicle using a ‘cracked’ glaze pattern which is elegantly coloured, with clearly defined cracks etched at different depths.’

‘Only a few hundred pieces of Ge Kiln porcelain exist today, all of which are supposed to be priceless treasures. Porcelain is one of China’s most distinctive ancient arts which was brought to the West via the Silk Road thousands of years ago. Using Ge Kin porcelain as the inspiration for the one-off version is a perfect complement to Ferrari’s China Limited Edition Model,’ says the Ferrari press release. ‘The 599 China Limited Edition model is a true masterpiece, combining rich Chinese artistic heritage with Italian design in a most spectacular way,’ says Marco Mattiacci, CEO of Ferrari Asia Pacific.

Frankly, we think the China-special 599 looks trashy. Spaghetti Bolognaise and Chicken Chow Mein just don’t mix…

SpeedStart: CPT announces second-generation start-stop system

CPT has fitted a Volvo S40 with its new 'SpeedStart' start-stop system to demonstrate its efficiency and effectiveness. The second-generation system is production-ready

Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) has developed a second-generation start-stop system, which it claims outperforms existing designs of modified starter motors and alternators. The new system – named ‘SpeedStart’ – is being shown to engineers and automotive experts this week at Europe’s largest conference for vehicle electronics, which is held every two years at Baden-Baden in Germany.

CPT’s production-ready SpeedStart system is more powerful, efficient and usable than first-generation stop-start systems. It’s the first design that integrates all the power and control electronics into a single electric motor assembly, and by maximising the number of stop-start events, the system aims to significantly reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

SpeedStart also meets manufacturer requirements for a service life of 10 years or 250,000km, which is in line with automotive industry standards for major powertrain components. With its high peak power of 3kW, the liquid cooled unit is thermally stable even with extreme under-bonnet temperatures and powerful enough to cope with petrol engines of up to 3.0-litres and diesel engines of up to 2.5-litres, thereby covering most vehicles segments.

To demonstrate the technology, CPT has installed its SpeedStart system in a Volvo S40 equipped with a 2.0-litre common-rail diesel, a size of engine which is common for European family cars yet a tough if not impossible challenge for existing stop-start systems. SpeedStart can not only cope easily with this high compression diesel engine, but also restart it in almost half the time required by a normal starter motor (0 to 750rpm in less than 0.4 seconds against typically 0.75 seconds).

Operating with up to 86% efficiency, which is significantly more efficient than even the best alternators, the SpeedStart system makes a radical departure from conventional designs by employing switched reluctance motor technology. During comparisons with permanent magnet electric motors, this alternative technology came out on top in every aspect. Significant advantages include the simple construction, accurate control and very high power density and efficiency.

‘CPT’s technical breakthrough has resulted in a state-of-the-art 12-volt system with the torque and power necessary to restart quickly, smoothly and more frequently, most modern diesel and petrol engines,’ says CPT senior manager Mike Dowsett. ‘Unlike existing systems, SpeedStart allows the vehicle to remain in gear when the engine is stopped, which is more natural for the driver and facilitates a faster restart.’

‘We’ve also successfully addressed one of the major criticisms of first-generation stop-start systems, which cause many motorists to disengage them, and that is their intrusiveness and whether they are powerful and fast enough to cope with a driver having a sudden change of mind, which is not uncommon and what often causes a motorist to lose confidence in the existing technology,’ says Dowsett.

‘What we’ve proved is that it is possible to build a highly refined system that becomes almost unnoticeable to the driver, and once that has been achieved it creates the opportunity for car makers to offer stop-start as a standard feature on all models – thereby achieving a serious reduction in CO2 emissions,’ adds Dowsett.

Volvo designers discuss Truck Design

From left: Rikard Orell and Asok George, from the Volvo Design Center, talk about what it takes to design a modern truck. Is it more challenging than designing a car? Probably, yes!

The design demands on modern trucks are among the toughest in the world of product design. A truck must be built tough, should be aerodynamic, must be safe and comfortable and should also look good. Asok George and Rikard Orell at the Volvo Design Center talk about what it takes to design a truck that meets all the above criteria, and more.

‘When we pen a new design, we consider two different types of end-users. First of all we have the customer, who usually knows exactly what he wants. To attract him to our brand, the design must express certain values and qualities,’ says Asok George, chief designer at the Volvo Design Center. ‘The other end-user of our products is society in general. The trucks we design operate everywhere. If people don’t like them because they look frightening or ugly, they simply won’t function in society, which means we will have failed,’ he adds.

‘Our starting point is a square-edged box that is designed to transport goods. There are detailed standards governing everything from the dimensions of the wheel housings to where the lights are to be fitted and how large the windscreen must be. And of course it’s vital to make the inside as spacious and practical as possible, at the same time as the outside is made as small and slim as can be,’ says Rikard Orell, design director at Volvo Trucks, and the person who heads the design operation.

Coming as he does from car design at Volvo Cars and before that at Australian car manufacturer Holden, Rikard admits that the firm restrictions on today’s trucks can sometimes make the truck designer’s job a bit frustrating.

‘You have a much freer hand when designing cars. You draw a product that may have a production run of millions, where it is often the appearance itself that ultimately attracts the customers. This means that the resources and preconditions are on an entirely different level compared with working on trucks,’ says Rikard, who admits that this firm focus on exterior design is not always a positive thing. ‘The risk is that everything ends up being about traditional styling. A truck is far more complex than a car. There are major differences between the different variants and configurations and since everything is so firmly tied to the functional aspects, the work itself is much more exciting,’ he says.

So where do truck designers get their inspiration from? ‘From everywhere. Architecture, cars, product design, boats, mobile homes… I have a 70 or 80 gigabyte database of pictures that I continuously update and look through,’ says Asok. ‘If you can keep the end-user in your mind throughout the design process, you already have access to the best source of inspiration there is. Just imagine you’re developing the best possible tool for the world’s most professional driver, at the same time as you visualise a little child riding his tricycle in a garden – with those two images playing through your mind you can’t fail !’

‘We work ceaselessly to improve aerodynamics within the strict frameworks we are given. The focus may be on optimising the radius of a curve in a body panel, getting rid of unnecessary detail or working on the underside of the truck to improve airflow. What it isn’t about is to transform the truck into a Ferrari. After all, its job is to haul heavy loads,’ adds Rikard.

American consumers want bigger cars, more space, more power, more features...

If you're an American car buyer, you probably want the one on the right...

According to a recent article on News Chief, car buyers in the US are once again clamouring for big(ger) cars. When fuel prices went up in a big way last year, car buyers in North America had started buying smaller, more fuel efficient cars. Now, with fuel prices having come down, those people want to get back to their bigger cars, SUVs and pick-up trucks.

According to the News Chief story, ‘Last year’s consumers are feeling robbed as auto industry implements tough fuel standards and cars get smaller.’ With US policy makers demanding increasingly better fuel economy, manufacturers are responding with smaller cars that are powered by smaller, more fuel-efficient engines. However, ironically enough, small car sales in the US seem to be on the decline already.

According to available sales data, small car sales in the US this year are down by about 20%, as compared to last year’s sales. Sales of new small cars like the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Chevrolet Aveo have come down significantly, while used car buyers in the US also do not seem to be interested in picking up smaller cars. On the flip side, North American buyers seem to be returning to their beloved pick-up trucks, with values of used vehicles in the segment going up by 23% between August 2008 and August 2009.

George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, says that American buyers are okay with fuel-efficiency but they simply aren’t happy with small cars, and that they want bigger cars with more space, more power and more features.

We guess the Tata Nano isn’t going to be sold in the US anytime soon, after all... :-)

Mahindra-Renault launches Logan Play in India

The Mahindra Renault Logan Play looks just plain terrible!

In a bid to boost the Logan’s ever dwindling sales, Mahindra-Renault recently launched yet another ‘special edition’ variant – the Logan Play. Available with a choice of 1.4-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, the Logan Play is available in two colours – black and white – with garish, stick-on graphics, alloy wheels and a few extra chrome-plated bits. The car is priced at Rs 5.5 lakh (petrol) and Rs 6.8 lakh (diesel), ex-showroom Delhi.

The tarted-up Logan Play is unlikely to help Renault’s cause in India. Instead of bringing in new, contemporary products which the Indian car market demands, the company insists on pushing the Logan, which looks and feels completely outdated. We suppose it’s only a matter of time before Renault and Mahindra will either decide to rework their joint venture agreement and look at introducing new products for India, or go their own separate ways.

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour: More pics, details released

The Honda Accord Crosstour looks interesting enough, but we're sure Honda won't bring this car to India. What a pity...

Honda has released more pics and details of its new sedan-estate crossover – the five-seater Accord Crosstour – which will come with a 3.5-litre i-VTEC V6 engine and optional 4WD.

‘Honda has a longstanding reputation for maximizing interior space and utility in its vehicles. Like the award-winning Honda Fit, the Accord Crosstour uses a versatile design to create an interior that functions with the practicality of a larger vehicle,’ says Erik Berkman, vice president of corporate planning and logistics for American Honda Motor Co. Inc.

The Honda Accord Crosstour, designed primarily for the American market, has taken a lot of flak for its awkward styling and a lot of experts have opined that Honda’s much-hyped crossover utility vehicle (CUV) concept might not be very successful after all. Whether that really proves to be true remains to be seen – the vehicle will be launched in North America in November this year.

Kawasaki Ninja 250R launched in India

Bajaj Auto has finally launched the Kawasaki Ninja 250R in India

After years of speculation and hype, Bajaj Auto has finally launched the Kawasaki Ninja 250R in India - a move that will be much appreciated by high-performance motorcycle enthusiasts in the country . The Kawasaki Ninja 250R, which is being imported from Thailand to India in the form of CKD kits (which are then assembled at Bajaj's facility at Chakan, near Pune), is priced at Rs 2.7 lakh, ex-showroom.

Commenting on the launch, Eric Vas, President (New Projects) at Bajaj Auto said, 'We conceived Bajaj Probiking four years back, with the objective of making it the automatic destination for bike enthusiasts looking for looking for bigger and sportier bikes. The launch of the Kawasaki Ninja 250R is one of the many initiatives lined up in realizing that objective.'

Indeed, the baby Ninja's price tag makes the bike more affordable than litre-class CBU imports like the Yamaha R1 and Honda Fireblade, which are priced at more than Rs 12 lakh. Of course, the Ninja 250R's performance is nowhere near that of an R1 or a Hayabusa, but the significantly lower price tag will make the little Kawasaki much more affordable, for a much larger segment of performance bike enthusiasts.

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is fitted with a fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, 8-valve, DOHC, 249cc parallel twin that produces 32 horsepower and 22Nm of torque. The gearbox is a six-speed unit and the semi double cradle chassis is made of steel. Suspension components include a conventional 37mm fork at the front and preload adjustable Uni-Trak monoshock at the rear. Braking duties are handled by a 290mm front disc (with two-piston caliper) and 220mm rear disc. The bike weighs 168 kilos and top speed is around 160-170km/h.

Bajaj Auto has taken a long, long time in bringing this bike to India but better late than never, we suppose! In the meanwhile, whether or not you're buying this bike, you can at least download high-resolution Ninja 250R wallpaper images from here.

A road test video of the Kawasaki Ninja 250R

Toyota FT-86 sportscar concept, FT-EV II compact electric car announced

The Toyota FT-86 sportscar uses a 2.0-litre 'Boxer' engine from Subaru

Toyota has announced it will unveil its FT-86 sportscar concept at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month. The rear-wheel-drive car will be able to seat five people and is fitted with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘Boxer’ engine sourced from Subaru. The production-spec FT-86 is expected to go on sale in 2011.

Toyota will also unveil the FT-EV II compact electric car at the Tokyo Show. Designed for short distance travel, the FT-EV II ‘looks to a future society where electric cars will be in common use, among a range of different means of transport that will reflect user requirements, the type of energy used and the local energy supply infrastructure,’ says a press release from Toyota.

The FT-EV II, with physical dimensions that are smaller than the Toyota iQ, can still seat four people. Its drive-by-wire technology allows all vehicle functions – including the accelerator, brakes and steering – to be controlled via a joystick. ‘Removing the throttle and brake pedals frees up legroom for the four-seat design,’ claims Toyota. The FT-EV II has a top speed of around 100km/h and a range of more than 80km. However, no production plans have been announced for this vehicle.

The FT-EV II provides a glimpse at the future of urban transport

Ferrari 599: The China Special

A special edition Ferrari 599 for China?? Yup, you'd better believe it...

In a move that shows just how important the Chinese market has become for all car manufacturers, Ferrari has launched a special edition version of its 599 GTB Fiorano, with the new Handling GTE package. The China-spec touches include a jade green (rather than the usual red) starter button, a tachometer with Chinese characters (rather than numbers in English) and accompanying luggage with a map of the old Silk Route. Well, at least the Prancing Horse on the steering wheel hasn’t been replaced with a fire-breathing dragon!

Europeans vote for the Opel Insignia as their no.1 favourite car

While the Opel Insignia was voted at no.1 as the Europeans' favourite car, other segment winners included the Audi R8, BMW X6, Maserati Quattroporte and Alfa Romeo MiTo

The Opel Insignia has emerged as the Europeans’ no.1 car of choice in AutoScout24’s 2009 Internet Auto Awards. Decided on the basis of votes from more than 250,000 people, the awards were given away last week in Munich, Germany.

Customers from all over Europe voted to elect their favourite cars in various categories, including sedans, MPVs, SUVs, convertibles and sportscars. While the Opel Insignia was voted at no.1 as the overall favourite car, other cars that came out on top in their own segments were the Alfa Romeo MiTo (small hatchback), Audi A3 (compact car), Audi A4 (sedan), Audi A6 (large sedan), Maserati Quattroporte (premium sedan), Mercedes-Benz B-Class (MPV/minivan), BMW X6 (4x4/SUV), BMW Z4 (cabriolet) and Audi R8 (sportscar).

Honda boss admits Hyundai is a ‘threat’

With improvements in product quality and relatively cheaper prices, Hyundai cars and now a threat to Japanese car manufacturers like Honda, Toyota and others

According to a news article on The Canadian Press, senior executives at Honda are worried about competition from Hyundai. ‘Hyundai is awesome. They are undoubtedly a threat because their products are cheap, and the quality is improving. Their growth is fantastic,’ said Takanobu Ito, CEO, Honda Motor Co., in an interview with The Associated Press last week.

Honda isn’t the only Japanese car manufacturer that believes Hyundai is a threat. ‘Hyundai is the biggest threat for Japanese automakers. They have the technology, but they seem to have cheaper labour,’ said Shiro Nakamura, senior VP at Nissan Motor Co. Nakamura quoted the example of how Korean consumer electronics manufacturers like LG and Samsung have successfully taken on Japanese manufacturer Sony, in recent years.

According to Nakamura, it will take Chinese car manufacturers another ten years before they can seriously compete with Japanese carmakers, but Hyundai is there already. To compete with the Koreans, ‘Japanese manufacturers need to start relying more on their creative sensibilities to add value to a product,’ he said. ‘We have to offer the equivalents of sushi, tempura and kaiseki to compete against Korean barbecue,’ said Nakamura.

Hyundai-Kia, now the world’s fifth largest automotive group, currently has a five percent market share globally.

Baja Auto, MotoCzysz announce ‘Dream project’ JV

MotoCzysz was recently in the news for its E1pc electric superbike...

Bajaj Auto has announced a joint venture agreement with the US-based MotoCzysz LLC for a ‘Dream’ project, under which the two companies will work towards developing a ‘next generation automobile.’ MotoCzysz has recently been in the news for its E1pc electric superbike, while Bajaj has earlier made expressed its intent to get into the small family car segment, so we suppose it would be safe to assume that Bajaj and MotoCzysz are likely to work on a small electric car for the Indian market.

‘Michael Czysz has a rare skill set with first hand experience in internal combustion, electrification, motorcycle and overall environmental design. Given his unique design background and history of innovation, we are excited about the possibilities of this project,’ says Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto.

‘When I walked through the gates of Bajaj, I was immediately moved, the place, the people and the family are inspiring, it feels like anything is possible and the level of competence I saw was world class. Bajaj is an ideal partner,’ says Michael Czysz.

The two companies claim they will ‘combine green technologies with innovative packaging and style solutions to create an affordable alternative to the traditional automobile.’ What that really means is open to interpretation but work on building the first prototype will actually start this month in Portland, in the US, so the Bajaj-MotoCzysz automobile could become a reality in the not-too-distant future!

MUL working on adapting MPFI tech for CNG-fuelled engines

If Maruti boffins can adapt MPFI technology so that it can be used on CNG-powered engines, CNG could become the fuel of choice for thousands of car buyers in India

According to a report on The Economic Times, engineers at Maruti Suzuki are working on improving their CNG-fuelled engines, the aim being to reduce/eliminate the loss of power that’s associated with the use of currently available CNG kits.

Maruti engineers are said to be working on adapting multi-point fuel-injection (MPFI) technology, which is already in use on all contemporary petrol-engined cars, for CNG engines. Unlike currently available CNG kits, which supply a single stream of CNG fuel to the engine, MPFI will allow CNG to be injected into the engine via multiple, fine, high-pressure streams, which will improve combustion efficiency, eliminate loss of power and even improve fuel efficiency.

While various CNG-powered car variants are available in India, some of which are widely used as taxis, these variants have found only limited acceptance with individual/private users, primarily because of the loss of power associated with the use of CNG. Despite the fact that CNG is significantly cheaper than petrol and diesel and has the potential to slash motorists’ fuel bills, most people are less than willing to trade power for fuel economy, especially when the loss of power is so significant that at times it doesn’t even allow the car’s air-conditioning system to be used.

However, with MPFI being adapted for use on CNG engines and power loss being eliminated, CNG could be a game changer in India. Of course, CNG availability will also have to be improved and gas suppliers would have to boost CNG infrastructure in the country so consumers don’t have to wait in mile-long queues to fill up. But if that happens, CNG could become the fuel of choice for thousands of car buyers in the country.

Silver, gray colours preferred by motorists in Asia

Silver, gray, black and white seems to be the world's favourite car colours, while nobody seems to want green anymore, which is a bit ironic... ;-)

According to research data released by PPG Industries, silver and charcoal (gray) are the most preferred colours for car buyers in the Asia-Pacific region. Of the motorists surveyed, 34% expressed a preference for silver and gray, 21% went for black, 17% preferred white, 9% went with blue and 7% with red. Green was the preferred colour for only 2% of the motorists and other colours together accounted for 10%.

In North America, silver and charcoal (gray) was the preferred colour for 25% of the motorists, 18% preferred white, 16% preferred black and 12% preferred red. These four colour categories currently comprise over two-thirds of all vehicles sold in North America. It seems Americans’ colour preferences have changed significantly over the last two decades – silver was the preferred colour for only 8% of North American buyers in 1994, while 15 years ago, green was the most popular of all colours, with 21% of all car buyers in America opting for that shade.

In Europe, silver and charcoal (gray) are currently the most popular colours, with 35% of car buyers opting for that shade, 22% pefer black, blue and white are tied with 13% each, red stands at 9% and green is at 2%.

As car technologies are developing, so is the world of automotive colour. At this year's Automotive Color Trend Show in the US, PPG presented some interesting new shades that include Champagne Silver (a tinted silver with a warm copper beige cast), Outer Space Blue (a deep, dark blue with a slight sparkle effect), Haute Couture (a black base coat with a high sparkle blue mid-coat), Quantum Rose (close to a neon red) and Hulk (bright green).

One of the paint systems that PPG previewed at the show is a next generation of glass flake coatings. These are paints that include very smooth glass flakes coated with various metal-oxide layers. ‘Because of the coating's narrow particle distribution and very smooth surface, this product shows extreme sparkle and brightness,’ said Jerry R Koenigsmark, PPG manager of color design, North America automotive coatings. Koenigsmark said that the company hopes to make these coatings available commercially in the next two to three years.

PPG also highlighted its new inorganic infrared-reflective pigments, which have a very high solar reflectivity that helps to keep the vehicle cooler, reduce air conditioning use and ultimately help reduce fuel consumption.

Abarth 500 R3T: The Fiat 500 from Hell

The Fiat 500-based Abarth 500 R3T rally car looks totally hot! We love this car!!

Abarth recently unveiled the maddest version of the Fiat 500 we’ve ever seen – the Abarth 500 R3T rally car. Revealed earlier this month at the San Remo Rally in Italy, the Abarth 500 R3T is fitted with a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 180 horsepower. The engine is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox and the car is fitted with a self-locking blade differential, twin disc clutch, Brembo disc brakes (with an adjustable split system) and a hydraulic hand brake.

We quite love the cute, cheeky little Fiat 500 and the heated up version from Abarth looks just brilliant. It may not have the all-out performance of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, but as far as we are concerned, the stylish little buzz-bomb from Fiat/Abarth is likely to be more fun to drive in the real world than most high-priced supercars. We wish we could buy one of these!

Tata Motors working on CNG version of the Xenon XT

A CNG-powered version of the Xenon pick-up might be offered in India and Thailand in 2010

Tata Motors, along with Canada-based Alternative Fuel Systems (AFS), is working on developing a CNG-powered version of the Tata Xenon XT pick-up, which is currently available with a 2.2-litre common-rail turbodiesel engine. The development work is currently being carried out in Canada and the Xenon CNG could be launched in India and Thailand by mid-2010.

‘The objective of our project is to refine the Xenon engine control system to provide optimal drivability and performance under a wide spectrum of operating conditions. It is very important to vehicle buyers that the pickup has a smooth and powerful feel in real world driving. The only way to properly assure this elevated level of performance is through testing on a production vehicle,’ says Jim Perry, president and CEO, AFS.

Hyundai Equus Limousine launched in South Korea

A Korean-built S-Class or 7 Series. Sure, that's what the Hyundai Equus Limousine is supposed to be. The Korean president is now using a bullet-proof version of this car!

Hyundai has launched its biggest, most luxurious car ever – the long-wheelbase Equus Limousine – in South Korea. Prices for the Equus Limousine, which is pitched against cars like the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, start at the equivalent of Rs 53 lakh and go up to Rs 61 lakh.

The Equus Limo is fitted with Hyundai’s most powerful engine ever – a 5.0-litre V8 that produces 400 horsepower and 500Nm of torque. The car’s interiors are kitted out in high-spec wood and leather and there are bits like power-operated footrests and a massage system for rear seat passengers. ‘This sort of comfort isn’t usually found anywhere outside of an aircraft’s first class lounge,’ claims a Hyundai press release.

Hyundai has also developed a bulletproof version of the Equus Limousine, three units of which have been delivered to the Korean President for his personal use. Hyundai is the first Korean company to develop a bulletproof car with its own technology.

The Equus Limo is primarily aimed at Hyundai’s domestic Korean market, though the company is currently evaluating export possibilities for the car.