One exception to the small car trend is the Hyundai Equus, the largest and most luxurious car yet from the Korean carmaker.

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Also receiving awards are the Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Equus, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus IS, MINI Countryman, Nissan Armada, Porsche Cayenne, Scion xB, Suzuki Kizashi and Volkswagen GTI.

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Maybe Krafcik and colleagues should consider simply changing the conversation about their brand from a mileage emphasis to a discussion about the broad range of vehicles now being offered under the Hyundai umbrella, from economy models to the luxurious Equus.

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Further, Genesis and Equus are attracting higher buyer demographics to the Hyundai brand than ever before.

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The Equus, if nothing else, will help differentiate Hyundai from others in its league.

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