Launched in 2018, the Palisade is getting a bit long in the tooth. Despite being an aging product, Hyundai’s largest SUV is still a hot commodity. Deliveries through April rose by 30 percent in the United States, reaching 34,394 units. If this spy video is any indication, the three-row family hauler will be retired in the foreseeable future to make way for the second-generation model.
Caught in an underground parking lot in South Korea, the next-gen Palisade was wearing bulky camouflage to conceal what looked to be the production body. Knowing Hyundai isn’t afraid of making radical styling changes, we won’t be too surprised if this will be a total redesign. We can already catch a glimpse of the new headlights and grille peeking through the mesh camo. In addition, the front fenders are partially exposed, revealing a prominent crease above the wheel arches.
Those 18-inch wheels look a bit too small for such a large body, but Hyundai will surely offer larger alloys on the production model. This is only a prototype; hence why not all of the body panels have the same color. Bigger changes have likely occurred at the rear where Hyundai went through the trouble of installing additional camo. The exhaust tip is sticking out, presumably because of engine/emissions testing. Cutouts in the camo for the parking sensors denote the prototype is unlikely to be far away from a production vehicle.
The car paparazzo was also able to look inside where Hyundai covered the dashboard. However, we can see just about everything else, including those round door handles, wood trim, and several ceiling-mounted buttons. The quality might not be up to snuff, but that’s to be expected on a pre-production prototype. The Palisade for customers will definitely have nicer materials, so don’t judge the interior’s fit and finish just yet.
About a year ago, a report emerged from South Korea about Hyundai’s intention to launch the next-gen Palisade with a hybrid powertrain. In addition, the naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V-6 will allegedly be replaced by a turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6. The four-cylinder turbodiesel 2.2-liter engine offered today in select global markets might be discontinued.
It is believed the engineers are stretching the wheelbase compared to the current model, which measures 114.2 inches between the axles. That should enable greater legroom, especially for second- and third-row passengers. The new Palisade goes by the “LX3” internal codename and will be joined by the fully electric Ioniq 9. The two won’t be related since the EV will ride on a dedicated platform, the same E-GMP that underpinned the smaller Ioniq 5 and 6 models.
The Palisade is likely to go on sale next year and land in the United States as a 2026MY.
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