Hyundai Motor Corp., known for dependable, low-cost though unexciting cars, wants to move its brand upmarket. But first it needs to contend with customers like Joe Murphy.

Last year, the 50-year-old sales executive in Dallas spent $42,000 on a Hyundai luxury model. Called the Genesis, the sedan came with heated and cooled leather seats, a powerful V8 engine and other features typically found in a Lexus or Mercedes.

One thing it lacked was prestige. People often asked Mr. Murphy about the car, but when he told them it was a Hyundai they lost interest, he said. Last month, he traded it in for a Mercedes.

Mr. Murphy's experience illustrates the challenge Hyundai faces in the U.S. The South Korean company has advanced from one that once sold trouble-prone vehicles to a leader in quality surveys. Its market share has soared, hitting 4.7% in the first eight months of this year, up from just 1.4% in 2000.

To keep gaining share Hyundai says it must draw from a wider and richer audience. The Genesis, launched in 2008, was the company's first move to change how Americans see the brand. Genesis -- which doesn't sport a Hyundai badge on the front -- has been modestly successful, selling about 1,200 a month, a bit more than a third of what General Motors Co.'s similar-size Buick LaCrosse sells.

Now, Hyundai plans an even costlier sequel. John Krafcik, chief executive of the U.S. unit, said the accolades given the Genesis by car reviewers and some buyers grant Hyundai 'permission' to make a $55,000-plus sedan called the Equus. 'The Equus is like a beacon for the brand,' Mr. Krafcik said.

The new model, set to go on sale in November, comes with all the bells and whistles of an $91,600 Mercedes, including electric back massagers, a 17-speaker surround-sound system, suede roof liners and a free Apple iPad containing the owner's manual. But the Equus's price is meant to attract the pragmatic wealthy. Hyundai expects to sell only 2,500 to 3,000 of them a year in the U.S.

The strategy of offeringluxury cars at a lower price mirrors what Toyota Motor Corp. did when it launched its Lexus line in the early 1990s, except that Hyundai isn't creating a new brand. 'We are proud that this is a Hyundai,' Mr. Krafcik said of the Equus.

Some branding experts say the strategy has risks. 'It will be harder to do under the Hyundai name than a separate luxury brand,' said John Grace, a principal of BrandTaxi, a consulting firm in Greenwich, Conn.

Hyundai has two goals with the Equus: to lure affluent buyers and to raise the company's image among less-wealthy customers who remain wary about the brand's cheaper models.

Both are key to Hyundai's future because the company has few other avenues for U.S. growth. It has launched cars in most major market segments except for pickups and large sport-utility vehicles. While these vehicles make up a third of the market Mr. Krafcik said the company isn't interested in making them because it focuses on high-mileage models. Also, Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota have had mixed results in entering the pickup and large-SUV categories.

Mike Ramsey

• executive [ig´zekjutiv] a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词)
• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)
• challenge [´tʃælindʒ] n.&vt.向....挑战；怀疑 (初中英语单词)
• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)
• audience [´ɔ:diəns] n.听众；观众；接见 (初中英语单词)
• system [´sistəm] n.系统，体系，制度 (初中英语单词)
• wealthy [´welθi] a.富有的；丰富的 (初中英语单词)
• principal [´prinsəpəl] a.主要的 n.负责人 (初中英语单词)
• contend [kən´tend] v.竞争；斗争；争论 (高中英语单词)
• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)
• dallas [´dæləs] n.达拉斯 (英语四级单词)
• prestige [pres´ti:ʒ] n.威望，威信；声望 (英语四级单词)
• manual [´mænjuəl] a.用手(操作)的 n.手册 (英语四级单词)
• modestly [´mɔdistli] ad.谦虚地；有节制地 (英语六级单词)
• beacon [´bi:kən] n.灯塔；信标 v.照亮 (英语六级单词)
• strategy [´strætidʒi] n.兵法；战略 (英语六级单词)