Hyundai is currently evaluating the Palisade flagship SUV for an India launch. It could be brought to the country in limited numbers under the 2500 car import rule without homologation.
Hyundai made the global debut of the Palisade SUV in 2018 and ever since, it has garnered quite some interest for itself across the globe. The Palisade full-size SUV is currently Hyundai’s flagship in its global lineup and has primarily been developed for left-hand drive markets like the US. It is also the biggest and most luxurious product Hyundai has ever built and now, according to a report by Autocar India, Hyundai is doing a feasibility study of bringing the Palisade to India. It is however not a priority for Hyundai India and will only be brought if there’s sufficient market demand for the same.
While Hyundai is still in the evaluation stage of whether to bring the Palisade to India or not, there could be some potential for such an SUV in the Indian market. Valuable feedback from customer enquiries should shed some light for Hyundai to take a decision on this. The important question here is whether the Palisade will be brought in as an import or Hyundai could actually be looking at localize the SUV. In case of the latter, they would need sufficient volumes, but if it does come as an import, Hyundai could take advantage of relaxed homologation norms for CBUs which allows automakers to import up to 2,500 units of a car in a year without needing to homologate them.
In case it does come as an import, it could be reasonably expensive due to import duties. Currently, the Palisade is only a left-hand drive model but Hyundai is looking to introduce right-hand drive versions for the Australian and South African markets. That should make it a little easier for Hyundai to bring the Palisade to India in limited numbers. In the USA, the Hyundai Palisade is powered by a sole 3.8L, V6 petrol engine that puts out 295hp and 355Nm of torque. Such a large displacement petrol engine is however highly unlikely for India, even if it is in limited numbers.
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In India, Hyundai could even be using a much smaller 2.0L turbo-petrol engine along with a 2.2L diesel engine with 202hp that’s offered on the South Korean spec model. An 8-speed automatic transmission is offered as standard in the international markets and the SUV also gets four-wheel drive option. In terms of dimensions, the Palisade is quite a mammoth, measuring 4,980mm in length, 1,975mm in width and 1,750mm in height. The wheelbase of the SUV stands at 2,900mm. That’s significantly larger than both the likes of the Fortuner and Endeavor.
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If Hyundai brings the Palisade to India at all, it will be brand’s most expensive offering in the Indian market ever. It could also be significantly more expensive than other full-size SUVs in the Indian market like the Fortuner and Endeavor on account of being more premium and an import. It can be had either as a 7-seater (with captain seats for the middle row) or as an 8-seater SUV. Historically, Hyundai hasn’t had much success with expensive models in India like the Sonata and the Santa Fe. Could the Palisade be the game changer or will it be dropped because of similar reasons? Well, we will only find that out in time.
