Originally expected to launch on April 13, minor facelift of Hyundai Palisade revealed without warning on eve of launch

The Hyundai Palisade facelift, Hyundai's first 8-passenger full-size SUV, is set to receive its first facelift at the 2022 New York Auto Show on 13 April. To no one's surprise, Hyundai USA's Youtube channel has released an unmasked version of the Palisade as the cover photo for a live video of the April 13 launch event. However, Hyundai apparently spotted the mistake and changed the cover as soon as possible.

On the eve of the launch, Hyundai USA's Youtube channel posted an unmasked Palisade as the cover photo for the live video of the 13 April launch. From the only front side angle shot, together with the original teaser photos released earlier, it is clear that the revised Palisade will have a more linear front-end silhouette, and is heavily inspired by Hyundai's HDC-2 concept car from 2018.

Firstly, the large air dam in the center has been changed from its diamond-like shape to a more square design, while the front bumper has been reshaped to give it a more modern feel. The headlamps are now vertical, similar to the split vertical shape of the Santa Fe, giving the front end a more dominant look than the C-shaped headlamps of the Palisade before the facelift.

The small Palisade will have a more linear front-end silhouette and is heavily inspired by Hyundai's HDC-2 concept car, which was unveiled in 2018. However, according to the spy photos previously captured by the media, the interior of the Palisade should not change much, and the rear of the car is expected to have a similar design language to the new generation Tucson.

At the 2018 Busan Motor Show in Korea, Hyundai brought out the HDC-2 concept car, originally called the Grandmaster. The overall shape tends to be square and large, with strong muscular lines on the body panels and more rounded curves on the straight lines, creating a moderate visual tension.

In terms of power, the media expects that the small variant will still be powered by the 3.8-liter V6 direct-injection GDi natural gas engine with a maximum output of 291 hp and 36.2 kgm of torque, and 8-speed manual transmission. Stay tuned as U-CAR continues to monitor the New York Auto Show and the minor Palisade changes.