I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Hyundai is introducing A Real Big Boy. We’re talking Huge. Long. Thicc-with-two-C’s. The 2020 Hyundai Palisade is coming, and oh baby, it’s gonna be Hyundai’s biggest vehicle yet.
Everybody is head over heels for the SUV and the crossover these days. I couldn’t tell you why, but Big Is In, and Hyundai is here to capitalize on the trend. Bigger, longer, and wider than their currently-largest Santa Fe XL, the Palisade reportedly is an entirely fresh product when compared to the rest of Hyundai’s lineup.
The Palisade is designed for a “growing family with an active lifestyle”. Riding on a whole new chassis, it’s powered by an Atkinson-cycle 3.8-liter V6 direct-injected engine that’ll produce 291 hp at 6,000 rpm. It’ll have an eight-speed automatic transmission and can be configured to accommodate both two- and four-wheel-drive. And it’s loaded with tons of avoidance assists: pedestrian detection, blind spot collision, lane following, and rear cross traffic collisions.
This big boy was designed by SangYup Lee, Hyundai Motor’s vice president of design, who is looking to make his cars as sexy as an Alfa Romeo. It’s definitely a bold design. I wouldn’t necessarily shoot for “sexy”, but my boyfriend is also watching me write this blog while making comments like “tighter than fitting my Palisade in the one-car garage”, so I suppose there’s some merit to it.
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As announced at the LA Auto Show, the Palisade will be produced in Ulsan, Korea and will be in American markets for 2020.
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The Palisade appears to be the product of regional units, like Hyundai North America, instead of these big decisions being made solely at the headquarters in Seoul. Hyundai missed the big SUV boom, but now they’re trying to make up for it by paying more attention to market trends. They’re predicting it’ll be their flagship vehicle—a big change from back in the day, when they’d only have been promoting their cars.
Hyundai definitely seems to be changing. Along with the Palisade, it’s looking like they’ll be fielding a pickup truck in the near future. Definitely changing times for the Korean company.
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