Hyundai Motor unveils new, sleek Grandeur

South Korea’s largest carmaker Hyundai Motor on Tuesday unveiled the much-awaited sixth generation of the Grandeur.

During a media preview event in Seoul, Hyundai designer Koo Min-chul said the new Grandeur will “spearhead a new era” for the company’s designs. 

“It features a cascading grill inspired by molten metal flowing from a furnace and the curves of Korean ceramics,” Koo told the media.

Hyundai’s cascading grill, which was first introduced with the company’s i30 model, will be adopted for other Hyundai models in the future, he added.

“If the old model represented power, this new model is for future leaders and their families,” Koo said.

The new Grandeur boasts futuristic light-emitting diode headlight and tail lights. Overall, the new vehicle has a modern and sleek look. 

The new high-end passenger vehicle is equipped with Hyundai Smart Sense safety technologies for the first time, as the company aims to create a society with no car accidents, according to Hyundai. It features safety technologies including a driver alert system, automatic emergency braking, smart blind spot detection and advanced smart cruise control.

First launched in 1986, 1.85 million vehicles of the 30-year-old car model have been sold around the world.

The first and second generations of the Grandeur were co-developed with Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi. Hyundai introduced its own model for the third-generation Grandeur XG in 1998.

Now the Grandeur is Hyundai Motor’s most premium model, after its Genesis brand was separated to become an independent luxury brand in November 2015.

The new Grandeur will hit the market next month with pre-orders commencing on Nov. 2 in Korea. The price for the new model has not been set yet. 

By Park Ga-young (gypark@heraldcorp.com)