Hyundai Grandeur: Hyundai’s flagship sedan since 1986

The Hyundai Grandeur is the company’s mainstream flagship sedan, sold since 1986 over seven generations and known in North America and the Middle East as the Azera. It sits below the more premium Dynasty of 1996 and the Equus of 1999. The first two generations were, in effect, rebadged Mitsubishi Debonairs; from the XG of 1998 the car was Hyundai’s own.

Hyundai Grandeur at a glance

History of the Hyundai Grandeur

Before the 1988 Seoul Olympics most of Korea’s luxury car market belonged to Daewoo and its Royale series; Hyundai’s flagship from October 1978 had been the locally built Ford Granada Mark II, which the Royale outsold. Hyundai tried to design a luxury car of its own, then abandoned the attempt and took the platform, interior layout and engines from Mitsubishi, which was itself looking for a replacement for its Debonair. The resulting Grandeur, nicknamed “Gak-Grandeur” after its angular shape, was launched in July 1986; the design was Hyundai’s, the interior was Mitsubishi’s.

It was Korea’s second front-wheel-drive layout after the Excel, and at first came only with a 2,000 cc four-cylinder engine and a manual gearbox; later a 2,400 cc engine, a 3,000 cc V6 and an automatic were added. Hyundai used its role as an official sponsor of the 1988 Olympics to show the car to executives and dignitaries, and it became Korea’s best-selling large car by a considerable margin. The tail lights changed in 1989, ABS arrived in 1991, and production ended in September 1992 after 122,074 cars. In Japan the same car was sold as the Mitsubishi Debonair V. In 2021 Hyundai marked the Grandeur’s 35th anniversary with the Grandeur Heritage, a restomod electric concept shown at Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang.

The New Grandeur of September 1992 was a joint development with Mitsubishi: Mitsubishi supplied the powertrain, Hyundai the body and trim, and the car was sold with 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5-litre V6 engines only. It was not exported, but it became a status symbol in Korea among politicians and business executives. The 3.0 and 3.5-litre engines were a significant legacy, because Hyundai could not then build engines of that size itself, and the partnership later produced the Equus and Dynasty flagships.

The third generation, the Grandeur XG of 1998, was developed entirely by Hyundai using the experience of the first two. It was sold in North America and Japan as the Hyundai XG. The Grandeur has stayed Hyundai’s flagship mainstream sedan since, with the Azera name used in North America and the Middle East; since 2017 the Azera has no longer been sold in the United States and Canada, where the Genesis G80 took its place, but it continues in Korea and the Middle East.

Design and features

• Mitsubishi origins: the first two generations were developed with Mitsubishi and based on the Debonair.
• Olympic debut: launched in 1986, two years before Hyundai sponsored the Seoul Olympics.
• Own design from 1998: the XG generation was the first developed entirely in-house.
• Two names: Grandeur at home, Azera in North America and the Middle East.

Hyundai Grandeur versions

• Grandeur YFL (1986–1992): the angular first generation, 2.0 to 3.0-litre engines.
• New Grandeur LX (1992–1998): joint development with Mitsubishi, V6 engines only.
• Grandeur XG (1998): Hyundai’s own design, sold abroad as the XG.
• Azera: the export name used in North America and the Middle East.
• Grandeur Heritage (2021): a restomod electric concept of the first generation.

The Grandeur is the mainstream flagship below the Dynasty and the Equus. Hyundai’s later large sedan was the Genesis. More Hyundai models are in the Hyundai collection.

Video: 2013 Hyundai Grandeur Start Up, Engine, and In Depth Tour

Video by MegaRetr on YouTube.

Sources

• Hyundai Grandeur, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, Mitsubishi link, names, heritage concept