Ban Ki-moon, the current Secretary General of the United Nations, originally hails from South Korea. Now in his second term as Secretary General, it seems fitting that Ki-moon would travel in an armored limousine that comes from the land of his birth.

Yesterday, Hyundai handed over the keys to a new bulletproof Equus limousine, built on a stretched version of the Korean automaker’s flagship luxury sedan platform. First shown at this year’s Moscow Auto Show, we’ve known that Hyundai was building an armored Equus for a few years now.

Autocar

tells us that the armored Equus was developed in cooperation with Stoof International, a German company that specializes in the construction of such vehicles. The Equus receives a rating of VR7, meaning its capable of stopping rounds from common assault rifles up to 7.62x51 in caliber.

The car weighs a truly impressive 8,448 pounds, yet relies on the same 5.0-liter Tau V-8 used in standard Equus models. While performance data isn’t published, we’d expect that to yield “leisurely” acceleration and “lengthy” braking distances.

For heads of state and other world leaders, though, the heaviest-duty stretched Equus gives them yet another alternative to existing vehicles from the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac.

It’s not clear if Hyundai is looking towards armored vehicles for a future business opportunity, but we’re sure it won’t shy away from future high-profile business opportunities like this.

Hyundai's armored Equus limousine - image: Hyundai

Hyundai's armored Equus limousine - image: Hyundai