Trio of bulletproof presidential Hyundai Equus limos are first-ever armored stretches built in Korea
Hyundai Equus LV500 Limousine – Cick above for high-res image gallery
By now, vehicles like the Genesis and Equus have convinced most of how far Hyundai's come from bring the purveyors of punchline hatchbacks. But in case that wasn't enough, Hyundai has dropped the bigger-than-the-average-bear Equus VL500 limousine on the home market. Still not enough? How about presidential-grade armored versions, then?
That's precisely what Hyundai has built for Cheong Wa Dae, the seat of the South Korean president. Three of them were built and handed over to the Korean Presidential Security Service, and they'll be used at the upcoming G20 summit scheduled to be held in South Korea next year. Few details have been released, but the trio of armored Hyundais are said to be capable of withstanding the blast of 15 kilograms of TNT, putting it around the sixth or seventh level of the police certification which Mercedes-Benz and BMW use for their armored vehicles. The armored Equus stretches may not measure up to President Obama's Cadillac, but they are certainly a long way from the Getz, and they are apparently the nation's first-ever homebuilt armored limos.
Gallery: Hyundai Equus Limo
[Source: The Chosun Ilbo]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
paul34 7:07PM (9/30/2009)
Well good for them, there's certainly a lot to be said for being able to have a domestic label on your Executive vehicles - a sense of national pride.
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Quantumphysics 8:56PM (9/30/2009)
That thing looks like a big, retarded Dodge Charge.
Seriously, HOW MANY CAR COMPANIES IS HYUNDAI GONNA STEAL FROM?
If I was Lexus I'd sue the shlt outta Hyundai.
bwzd7p2 10:08PM (9/30/2009)
Please do tell how Lexus sues Hyundai without evoking a lawsuit from Mercedes for how much the original LS ripped off from them?
JDM Life 12:56AM (10/01/2009)
@ bwzd7p2
The original LS looked better and WAS better then the S-Class...oh yea thats FACT. Sent Benz, BMW and Jag back to rethink what a Luxury sedan really made of.
You = Fail.
Now....
A Lexus Badge would be perfect on this car....and it would seriously pass as a Lexus. You could even take it to get service at a Lexus dealership and everyone there wouldn't notice....
bwzd7p2 1:17AM (10/01/2009)
Nope, JDM, the FACT is that looks are subjective and you're just a moron with a keyboard who DOES NOT get to decide for the whole world. Therefore, you tragically FAIL, for not even being able to distinguish objective from subjective. Also, while the LS decidedly has been more reliable than most recent M-B's, it's a BORING drive. Which is why it fails with so many under 50. OK in Japan, which is rapidly aging due to its isolationism; not so much for the rest of the world.
BTW, Qp, the rear end is copied from the '05 KDM TG Grandeur, which came out a full year before the Charger, so what does it matter if it looks like a Chrysler product that copied a Hyundai?
bwzd7p2 1:31AM (10/01/2009)
Oh yeah, JDM, here's a sure-fire way to tell the two apart:
The Hyundai is the one not speeding down the highway with the brakes on fire and then slamming into an embankment in a flaming ball of death because it has a properly designed accelerator, not one so weak it can't even support the weight of a floormat.
Quantumphysics 7:25AM (10/01/2009)
first of all, I own an S550.
Nothing that Japan or Korea makes touches an S-class. Its easy for you people to say it does because most likely you're driving rice rocket Hondas or Toyotas.
I don't care if I get downranked but till you people get some real money I don't wanna hear anything even remotely bad about the S-class coming out your mouths.
You're like those broke ass youtubers who claim the Porsche's are better than the Veyron.
Go to hell.
Brandon 10:04AM (10/01/2009)
@Quantumphysics,
Here's a good website for you:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anger-management/MY00689
I'm sorry that people don't think of your car as high as how much you paid for it. I just hope that, next time when you buy a car, you can make a better decision. I think you buy cars impulsively....
XJ 11:46AM (10/01/2009)
Quantumphysics says in every post: blah, blah, blah...I own an S550...blah, blah, blah...
It never fails...Don't you have something better to do in your life then brag about what you bought and cut down on everything else you don't own? Oh wait, I forgot you own a S550...one of those people...
jsjs 3:01AM (10/02/2009)
Gee, quantum w/ his asinine posts again (shocking!).
If I were Mercedes, I'd sue Lexus since the LS430 was a virtual CLONE of the S Class at that time.
If I were Buick and Jag, I'd sue Lexus for stealing their vertically slatted grille (seen on the GS and RX).
If I were Infiniti/Nissan, I'd sue Lexus for ripping off their take of BMW's Hofmeister kink on the current GS.
If I were Ford, I'd sue Lexus for stealing the tri-bar grille on the HS.
And as for the Dodge Charger claim, does the new Buick LaCrosse also look like a "big, retarded Charger", or did Buick merely copy Dodge copying Buicks from an earlier era?
@JDMLife
One could have easily serviced the LS430 at a Benz dealer, since they resembled each other so much.
W/ the current LS460, Lexus "borrowed" some lines from Bangle (tho, a bit toned down) - which is why the new toned down 7 from BMW and the LS460 look so similar from the side and rear.
Mehdi Cheddadi 7:08PM (9/30/2009)
those quad projector headlamps are CRAZY!! :slurp:
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homunculus 7:08PM (9/30/2009)
a bulletproof hyundai is a bit of a trojan horse
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stimr2 10:33AM (10/01/2009)
Hyundai isn't just a auto manufacturer and making cars was a after thought for them. Hyundai was originally a construction and shipbuilding company. By the way they're the no.1 shipbuilding company in the world. They also built Korea's first Aegis Destoryer and recently agreed with Lockheed Martin to build Aegis Destoryers for export. They also have a company that builds main battle tanks for the ROK military. So they do have extensive knowledge in the defense industry.
HotRodzNKustoms 7:10PM (9/30/2009)
Short of a tank, Cadillac One is probably the safest land based vehicle ever made. I like this stretch Equus it is low key enough for dignitaries yet good looking enough to make me think "yeah I'd have myself one of those."
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Jung 7:16PM (9/30/2009)
But he already has a 1million euro S600 Pullman guard and a 760... Is he planning on selling those on the used car market? -_-;
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erik1080 8:06PM (9/30/2009)
But judging by the front, that car IS a Merced-...oh wait...
daleam 11:30PM (9/30/2009)
And from the side it's a Buick.
Smokem 2:43AM (10/01/2009)
It's actually the Buick that looks like it.
Smokem 2:46AM (10/01/2009)
It's actually the Buick that looks like it.
bwzd7p2 8:19AM (10/01/2009)
Jung,
Well, these were donated so maybe they'll just keep the others around.
Others:
It's a "6-window" design with rear fender hop-ups. That look was first seen on the 1960 Valiant as far as I can remember, so no need to compare it to the LaCrosse/Allure because it wasn't around in 1960. Can anyone think of anything earlier than the Valiant?