The Hyundai Palisade is being considered for launch in India, as per a new media report. The executive SUV, offered in 7-seat and 8-seat versions internationally, is the South Korean brand’s flagship SUV.
The Hyundai Palisade was initially a left-hand drive-only model. There was no plan to release a right-hand drive version. However, the demand from right-hand drive markets is very strong and Hyundai has started crunching numbers to see if it’s worth doing the conversion. Australia is the prime motivation, promising volumes in several thousand annually. India would be just one of the few small markets that would benefit from the process if it happens.
Speaking to Autocar India recently, Tarun Garg, Director - Sales, Service and Marketing, Hyundai (India), said that “Hyundai is assessing the feasibility of launching the Palisade in India.” Local assembly is also on the table, he revealed.
We’ll need to see which route we can take with it, if the market is ready and what kind of volumes we’d be looking at. A decision on a model like this is critical because one has to take the import duties into account, and if we choose to localise it, we would need certain volumes.
For local assembly to make sense, Hyundai’s Indian subsidiary will probably need to promise sales of at least a few hundred units annually to the headquarters. Thanks to the relaxed import norms and given that the demand would be below 2,500 units annually, the company is unlikely to be worried about homologation.
According to GoAuto’s report from September last year, the Hyundai Palisade’s HTRAC all-wheel drive system is one of the technical issues in the right-hand drive conversion process, as it was designed to work in just left-hand drive. In other words, some components require extensive re-engineering.
Hyundai makes the Palisade in three engine variants and offers all of them in FWD and AWD drivetrain layouts. However, the FWD configurations naturally are meant for high-volume markets like the USA, Canada and South Korea. In a market like ours, where this model would be seen as a prestige, brand-shaping model and be deemed as a really expensive product, the customer expectation would be to have every major feature of it to be included, especially the HTRAC AWD system.
Hyundai Palisade Specifications
| Aspect | Specification | ||
| Length | 4,980 mm | ||
| Width | 1,975 mm | ||
| Height | 1,750 mm | ||
| Wheelbase | 2,900 mm | ||
| Engine | 2.2-litre TCi turbocharged diesel | 3.5-litre MPi N/A petrol | 3.8-litre GDi N/A petrol |
| Displacement | 2,199 cc | 3,470 cc | 3,778 cc |
| Maximum Power | 193 PS/200 PS/202 PS at 3,800 rpm | 277 PS at 6,300 rpm | 295 PS at 6,000 rpm |
| Maximum Torque | 45.0 kg.m (441.23 Nm) at 1,750-2,750 rpm | 34.2 kg.m (335.39 Nm) at 5,000 rpm | 36.2 kg.m (355.00 Nm) at 5,200 rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain Layout | FWD/AWD | FWD/AWD | FWD/AWD |
Also Read: The Hyundai Palisade N is Namyang’s craziest SUV to the date
In South Korea, the Hyundai Palisade's prices start at KRW 3,64,00,000 or INR 22.36 lakh (INR 22,36,182.31). In India, if Hyundai manages to price this model anywhere below INR 40 lakh (ex-showroom), it'd be a big success.
[Source 1: autocarindia.com]
[Source 2: goauto.com.au]
