Codenamed VI, the 2010 Equus is an all-new full-sized flagship sedan from the Korean manufacturer, Hyundai. The all-new Equus will ride on an extended-length version of Hyundai’s rear-wheel drive platform first seen on the Genesis Sedan and Genesis Coupe. It replaces the old Mitsubishi co-developed front-wheel drive Equus sold in Korea.

The 2010 Hyundai Equus will receive the first vehicle in the line up to receive the in-house developed 8-speed automatic gearbox and will be mounted to the 4.6-liter V8 engine already on duty in the Genesis Sedan. Six months after the Equus goes on sale, Hyundai will release a direct injection 5.0-liter V8 capable of putting out 400+ horsepower. For the sake of fuel efficiency, it’s rumored that Hyundai will include a cylinder deactivation system to the larger engine.

Along with the new 8-speed transmission and 5.0-liter V8, the 2010 Equus will feature many new safety technologies including a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Vehicle Stability Management System (VSM2) and a Pre-Safety Seatbelt System which predetects a front-end collision and automatically initializes the seat belt tensioners.

We’re not sure when Hyundai will first show the new flagship Equus Sedan, but it’s likely that it’ll hit South Korean showrooms in February 2010, with a U.S. release date shortly after. In the meantime, check out our gallery showing the first design sketches of the 2010 Hyundai Equus Sedan.

[via Hyundai-Blog]