3 Cars That Vanished into the Unknown – Click Here for the Scoop!

Three Unfortunate Cars That Were Forgotten Due to Their Ambiguous Positioning

The Hyundai Equus is one of the unfortunate cars. Since a flagship model tops the brands’ lineups and carries the brand’s iconic image, manufacturers have no choice but to put in a lot of effort to enhance its marketability, considering its high price. However, it often fails to attract consumers’ attention due to its high cost and ambiguous marketability.

On the other hand, some cars have been forgotten despite their excellent build quality and marketability.

These models were launched with high ambitions to disappear without receiving much attention for various reasons, such as ambiguous positioning or a failure to target the market appropriately. Let’s introduce three unfortunate cars that are sadly being forgotten.

Volvo S80 with a V8 engine
wasn’t quite a luxury sedan

The first one is the Volvo S80, produced from 2006 to 2016. It was also introduced in the Korean market in late 2006, equipped with a Yamaha V8 4.4 gasoline naturally aspirated engine. This engine, developed in collaboration with Yamaha, was first installed in the Volvo XC90’s 2005 model and later in the luxury sedan S80.

With its V8 engine, it received praise for its attractive engine and exhaust sounds despite not entirely matching with luxury sedans. However, these characteristics did not align well with the demand for a stable and smooth ride from the sedan. There was also a drawback, such as poor maintainability. Repairing the V8 engine was difficult, so the labor cost was high.

Equus recorded high sales
but couldn’t overcome the brand image limit

The second is the Equus, a large sedan produced from 1995 to 2015. At the time, it was recognized for its luxurious quality and advanced convenience specifications and competed with the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class, and Audi A8. It started exporting to North America in 2011 and proved its competitiveness by recording sales of 3,000 to 4,000 units annually.

Although discontinued, the second-generation Equus was equipped with a V6 3.8-liter Lambda MPI engine and a V8 4.6-liter MPI and operated with rear-wheel drive, sharing the platform of the Genesis. With the launch of the second-generation model, the rear-seat displays were doubled, incorporating a 9.2-inch navigation system. The latest specifications, such as a head-up display and an around-view system, were added. However, it could not overcome the brand image and was pushed out by other imported flagship models.

K9 positioned ambiguously
Despite introducing advanced specifications

The last one is the Kia K9. It had a V6 3.3-liter Lambda engine and a V8 5.0-liter Tau engine. This Platinum model demonstrated a maximum output of 315 horsepower and a maximum torque of 40.5 k-m. The K9’s ambiguous positioning was a stumbling block to sales. While it was cheaper than Equus, it failed to establish itself as a luxurious brand and showed poor sales in the expensive price range.

The K9 provided advanced convenience specifications for the price, such as HUD, HID, rear side warning system, around view system, 12.3-inch cluster, electronic shift lever, smart cruise control, adaptive full LED headlamps, etc. However, it was not enough to convince the luxury model’s buyers. Subsequently, the natural aspiration V8 engine and V8 engine specifications disappeared, and the positioning became even more ambiguous. It has already been discontinued in the North American market. Although Kia hasn’t specified its intent for the domestic market, it will likely be discontinued.