Delusions of Grandeur: Hyundai Fronts a New Mega Sedan

Thanks to a consumer base that would rather spend their shillings on an SUV instead of a sedan, the new Hyundai Grandeur won’t be making its way to North America. Still, with styling like this, it is difficult not to imagine an alternate universe in which this is the brand’s foil against all-electric cars like the Mercedes-Benz EQS and Lucid Air. 

To be certain, talking heads are all pegging this Grandeur to be conventionally powered when it goes on sale next year – so in this reality, it would not have competed against the EQS or Air at all. Nevertheless, the Grandeur’s styling is such that it easily lends itself to such comparisons. There’s something of the steampunk-esque Ioniq 6 in it, along with headlamps from the Staria van and a whole whiff of Genesis (brand, not band).

In fact, the presence of that marque – and its electrified G80 sedan – is surely the reason this Grandeur will never be sold new on North American soil by Hyundai or Genesis dealers; there’s simply too much overlap. The big G80 is a Dreadnaught-class sedan in its own right, despite sharing showroom space with the even larger G90, both of which pack love-it-or-leave-it styling and interior space for days. 

Alert readers will recall Hyundai’s previous forays into large sedans were a tepid mix at best. Starting with the XG300 (also called the ‘Korean Buick’), moving through the XG350 before settling on the Azera nameplate which ended up getting squeezed by the Genesis sedan when it was still billed as a Hyundai. All three of those rigs were essentially a Grandeur by another name if you’re wondering. These days, the Grandeur continues to be sold in other markets as the Azera, meaning it hasn’t disappeared entirely.

Will any parts of this new Grandeur end up on this side of the pond? We can hope. Check out the steering wheel in these images, a tiller that manages to recall the single-spoke Citroens while actually having three spokes and being, you know, useful. Screens are everywhere, as consumers expect in top-rung vehicles these days, while familiar fonts and switchgear are scattered about the interior.

Hyundai will release more details about the Grandeur closer to its release date, which should be sometime next year.

[Images: Hyundai]

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