I just found the probably first advertisement ever for a proper Korean luxury car, ridiculously explicitly grasping after the German premium brands in the stars - with a Mitsubishi made V8.
Posted by SjalabaisWoWS@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 24 comments
Yes, it's still grandpa here and I'm spending a slightly tipsy Sunday evening researching my car's Mitsubishi sibling. But that ad...is worth your seconds of watch time. Genesis eventually came from that. And that Mitsubishi 8A80 is as obscure as engines get, really. So here it is, Hyundai launching Equus - a word that sounds extra delightful with a Korean accent - while reaching into outer space:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUyKGmacsQY
AGRDR@reddit
Nice find with the advert. One thing I always found weird was Mitsubishi not giving the Pajero a V8 engine.... I'll chalk it down to financial issues at the time.
They did show off a Pajero Evo Concept in the early 2000s, notice the V8 badges on the front fenders. However it was powered by a twin-turbo V6 afaik (probably the 6G engine).
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
Ah, very cool, this one is new to me! I absolutely agree, in the US, this would have been a great addition to the SUV lineup. The V8 GDI was transversely mounted, though, and had a whole bunch of issues with its GDI tech. Fuel quality in the US probably wasn't high enough for gas direct injection engines either?
AGRDR@reddit
Yeah I imagine, in the Pajero, the engine would be mounted in a longitudinal layout, just like the 6G7 engines.
For the fuel quality issue with GDI, a few years after the 1st gen Equus launched, Hyundai made their version of the 8A80 engine with port injection to solve the issue.
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
Ok, rewatching it, I do notice Lexus and...coughs embarrasedly...Rolls-Royce in the stars, too. I mean, it's an ambition, right?
hi_im_bored13@reddit
In fairness this was that time for rolls royce when they'd just sold to vw but were licensing the branding to BMW & were in a bit of confusion for the next 4yrs
Not to say that hyundai competed, but if there were a time, not a bad time to shoot for the stars
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
That's a good tidbit. Slap them while they're down.
In all honesty, today's RR and Bentley, too, come across as tasteless machines for the newly rich. The tasteful gentleness of earlier pomp is gone. And the BMW issue of breaking plastic cogs in their handbrake actuators follows them, too, a total disgrace for cars at this price point.
A G90 is infinitely more sexy. Just my 2 ct.
Several-Eggplant4460@reddit
Yeah, have you seen the designs of new luxury cars? Mercedes is putting their three pointed star everywhere like a Gucci handbag. Mercedes, Audi and BMW are adding flashy led light bars and gopping aggressive grilles to their flagship sedans. Quiet luxury is gone, it's all "look at me" styling now.
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
Spot on. It is an eye-opener that Mercedes adapted designs and features from Chinese competitors. The world's oldest and probably most reknown car company is now playing catchup with communist EVs.
Asleep-Use-7336@reddit
the 8A80 is peak obscure
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
A GDI V8 from before y2k, longitudinally mounted, a technical marvel few have seen. Some say the existence of the Proudia and Dignity, especially, was purely "ceremonial" - Mitsubishi needed a halo limo, costs be damned.
wearethafuture@reddit
This led me down a rabbit hole to its Japanese counterpart, the Mitsubishi Proudia. On Wikipedia, it says ”The car was equipped with several features like CCD cameras to monitor adjacent lanes and behind the car, and a lidar activated adaptive cruise control.”
Did it really have LiDAR as we know it today? Would it make it an automotive first? Monitoring adjacent lanes is also introduced around that time, but from the top of my mind I don’t think Mitsubishi was the first - not at least in 1999.
The_Owl_Man_1999@reddit
They did actually have lidar for a warning system in the debonair in the early 90s, followed by the first ever auto cruise control in the diamante so it's not a giant surprise their later flagship would have stuff like that
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
I'm not sure about the kind of LiDAR, but there were several firsts here. Not least the GDI V8, which was the first of its kind and quite troublesome for that. The Proudia was simultaneously an innovative car and not enough to make a splash, with terrible timing. Some have described the whole development process in a time of crisis as "ceremonial".
Madder_Than_Diogenes@reddit
TIL that Mitsubishi even made a V8.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_8A8_engine
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
Have a look at the link in the OP. :)
strongmanass@reddit
That's a really cool find.
I'm torn on current Genesis. Donckerwolke and Lee clearly want to make it a cut-price Bentley. The cars are elegant and interior design is great. But the powertrains aren't good enough (ICE or EV). And it lacks identity IMO.
The line-up feels half-assed: three sedans and two SUVs. There's nothing there to get excited about. The G90 coupe and convertible look fantastic. Same with the EV versions (coupe and convertible) But Mercedes abandoned theirs because there's no market anymore. idk where the brand goes from here. The Corvette-based Magma GT would be cool, but then they're not a luxury brand.
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I do agree with you to some extent. Imho, the G90 is perfect as it sits - and its wheels are, curiously, interchangeable with my 2003 lineage car. Personally, I take more issue with the compact cars that I agree also lack personality. Is Genesis both an executuve name and a slightly-finer-than-Kia/Hyundai-brand? Then it's basically just another Lexus/Infiniti.
A more exciting model in the works seems to be the G90 Wingback. Unless I've misunderstood, this enthusiast's wet dream is slated for production. When it comes to the slightly unclear positioning, it is a bit of a surprise given Hyundai's very long run-up to create the brand:
First you had the Dynasty and Grandeur, which were kind of like the "big Opel"-approach without matching engines. The Equus finally brought a V8 and some size to the table, but, eventually, was replaced by the Hyundai Genesis lineup that, again, was closer to the Dynasty/Grandeur-way of thinking. Finally, Genesis became its own brand, just like Equus/Centennial were. There's been some wiggling.
strongmanass@reddit
They haven't announced a production run (yet). I think people have the wrong impression about the G90 wingback. The G90 is an S-class competitor. An S-class wagon wouldn't be exciting just because it's a wagon.
Everyone saw the G90 wingback and immediately expected it to be like an RS6 or something. But it'll just be a luxury car - at most like an S63 AMG or Audi S8, which aren't cars enthusiasts really like.
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
I think you can acknowledge that the word "enthusiast" spans more than one thing. From a Mitsuoka BUBU to a Ferrari 250 GTO you find people enjoying everything in between. The G90 Wingback being a luxury wagon is precisely what makes it exciting - to me, at least. People shell out unfathomable amounts of money for ugly people movers like the G-Wagon or Range Rovers, and, in our imagination, cars like the Lamborghini LM002 live on because they reimagined something. The Wingback could be a sexy, luxury people mover above the Volvo V90 and, in spirit, a 1800ES successor. Or a full-sized clownshoe.
Could be.
ALOIsFasterThanYou@reddit
A few years later, Hyundai put out a Super Bowl ad with a similar premise, but I think it was rather more convincing, particularly since they weren’t comparing themselves to Rolls-Royce anymore.
Instead, it’s focused on BMW and Lexus execs, who have been forced to take Hyundai seriously after the debut of the Genesis, and as a result, have had to learn how to pronounce ‘Hyundai’ correctly.
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
Excellent point, it's remarkable what a big step forward this ad is on several levels. Interestingly, they barely show the product here either.
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
That isn't really secret to know Hyundai had Mitsubishi V8 because Hyundai used to buy the techs and models from Mitsubishi Motor when they were beginner to touch car business.
It used to be common in most Asia countries, as they were trying to develop their own auto industry. Local govts made laws and protections to ban any imported cars and brands, so Western and Japanese automakers had to deal these local automakers to sell cars.
yobo9193@reddit
They also licensed the 5 speed transmission in the Genesis Coupe from Nissan (Jatco). Crazy that nowadays Nissan would more likely be licensing tech from Hyundai than the other way around
SjalabaisWoWS@reddit (OP)
No, definitely not suggesting this being a secret, they made entire cars based on Mitsubishi knock down kits to begin with. It's just an early ad for when Hyundai finally became confident and tried something that suggested they were in a league with the German premium brands, Lexus and Rolls-Royce, even. A cool document in this company's timeline.