2011 Hyundai Equus

Everyone balked at the Genesis, which can top $40,000 in V-8 trim, as being overly ambitious, but Hyundai sold more than 21,000 of them last year. The Equus (without any “Hyundai” stamping outside) is a bigger puzzle.

At this level, buyers either love the discounted luxury — heated and cooled rear seats, 17-speaker audio, adaptive xenon headlamps — or consider it a poor copy of a Mercedes S-Class. Even if it fails like the Volkswagen Phaeton, this V-8 full-size sedan is a serious shot at the big guys.