Hyundai LandCruiser rival takes shape

Korean car-maker Hyundai has given its strongest indication yet that it's plotting a full-size 4WD wagon to take on the 3500kg tow rated Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series in Australia and Chevy Tahoe in the USA.

Hyundai’s head of global product management, Lorenz Glaab, revealed to carsales that there was scope to expand the brand’s SUV line-up beyond the Prado-sized Palisade eight-seater – which is confirmed for release in Australia later this year – and into the upper-large SUV category.

“Nothing can be excluded,” Glaab said. “There is some dynamism in that segment you just described and we are very much aware of that. We monitor [it] very closely. And if we believe there is an opportunity for us, we can move pretty fast.”

Unlike the Palisade, which is based on a car-like monocoque platform, the flagship 4x4 off-roader that Glaab is referring to would most likely be based on a tough ladder-frame chassis and almost certainly be developed alongside a pick-up truck.

And it could look like the unofficial concept design created by Enoch Gonzales, who has coined the vehicle the 2022 Hyundai Terracan - a tough 4WD sold in Australia in the early 2000s.

Hyundai is understood to have been developing a large off-road wagon for the past few years in conjunction with sister brand Kia, which has also signalled its intention to offer a go-anywhere flagship 4x4 by about 2023.

“Yes, I mean from a brand perspective obviously that is thinkable,” said Glaab of the flagship off-roader. “And now whether it makes sense and in what region and with what particular concept remains to be seen.”

Count on seating capacity for at least eight occupants and plenty of off-road attributes, from locking differentials and a dual-range transmission to sophisticated electronics tailored for off-road conditions.

Hyundai could easily drop one of its stump-pulling petrol V8 engines into the flagship wagon or borrow the new 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel (204kW/588Nm) from the Genesis GV80 large SUV.

It also has potent twin-turbo V6 petrol engines at its disposal, while Genesis might figure in the equation for a super-luxury version of the off-roader, just as Lexus borrowed the LandCruiser for its LX.

As well as Australia and North America, the vehicle would find favour in markets such as Russia and the Middle East.

All of this applies to the forthcoming utilities from Hyundai and Kia, and Mr Glaab’s comments indicate that a full-size pick-up truck also remains on the agenda at the South Korean auto giant, in addition to a medium-sized dual-cab ute known to be in development as a rival for the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

Both are likely to come off the same (scalable) platform, with the full-size pick-up enabling Hyundai to attack the giant US market which is currently dominated by the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500.

The Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan also compete in this segment.

Hyundai has significant resources and has shown a desire to take risks via the inception of the Genesis luxury brand and the electrified IONIQ and high-performance N sub-brands.