Look to find everything from adaptive cruise control and massaging front seats to a first-aid kit and heated windshield wipers to show up on the base model, all for $58,000. Did we mention the complimentary iPad and dealer valet service for scheduled maintenance? Critics may scoff at the notion that American buyers would shell out nearly $60K for a Hyundai, but the truth is that, as a nation, we live and breathe value. With its 4.6-liter V8 engine and lengthy list of high-roller treats onboard, the Equus is a viable replacement for more expensive vehicles from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi -- not to mention Lexus and Infiniti.

But unlike those titans of luxury, the Equus doesn’t require buyers to take out a second mortgage just to foot the payments. While a less well-equipped BMW 740i will set buyers back $70,650, and a 2011 Audi A8 is expected to cost north of $74,000, the Equus is a new level of accessible luxury.

So far, Hyundai has been cagey about how it plans to market its new luxury sedan in America; rumors have swirled around everything from a new stand-alone brand -- in the same vein as what Acura is to Honda -- to the luxe model simply being segregated from the rest of the Hyundai rabble in the showroom using elaborate displays. Either way, we expect the car to make waves when it arrives in the U.S. next year, and we expect that more than a few luxury stalwarts may be caught in its wake.