Hyundai introduces Palisade, Kona Electric at MIAS

Kona Electric;  Palisade sub-compact SUV

Hyundai will launch its much-awaited Palisade premium SUV at the 2019 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS). The striking three-row, 8-seater SUV will bow with the new Kona Electric, a zero local-emission subcompact SUV.

The Palisade, launched to global acclaim just in November 2018 and already racking up some awards, aims to propel Hyundai’s brand to a higher level in the premium segment. “Hyundai Palisade’s exterior and interior design clearly reflect its unique flagship identity with a premium, distinctive and bold road presence,” said SangYup Lee, head of Hyundai’s Design Center.

The flagship SUV wants to convey dignity with style with its large cascading grille, composite head lamps and vertical forward lighting. The brawny body contains an interior large enough for eight passengers in three rows of seats. The Palisade promises generous seating even in the third row. Not seen but definitely part of the vehicle’s engineering are the aero underside panels with center floor full undercover to quell noise and improve efficiency.

The One-Touch second row pulls forward the seat for easy access to the third row. Second-row captain’s chairs are also available with ventilated seating surfaces. Even the USB ports are spread throughout the cabin, with at least one outlet located near each passenger.

An industry-first for Palisade is a roof vent diffuser that can provide a focused, partially-diffused, or fully-diffused stream of airconditioning to the rear passengers. This provides quieter operation and greater comfort. The Palisade features the longest wheelbase in its class. There’s also reportedly more cargo room behind the third row than its rivals. A slew of active safety features are expected to be on board.

Palisade was awarded a Red Dot Award for Design Excellence, honoring excellence in product and communication design from global submissions. Red Dot bestowed by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, a museum and training-communication center in Germany, which has promoted industrial and commercial design since 1954. Palisade won the category for ‘Product Design – Cars and Motorcycles.’

Hyundai launched the Kona at last year’s MIAS, and the subcompact SUV has become a familiar fixture on Manila’s streets. This year, Hyundai will show the all-new Kona Electric, the first fully-electric subcompact SUV on the Philippine market.

Kona Electric is visually different from the Kona, with a closed grille, and a dedicated center console for operation of the car’s shift-by-wire module. By putting an electric drivetrain in the Kona, Hyundai is offering a useful and versatile vehicle, together with instant torque and emission-free driving.

The Kona incorporates the battery pack in a space-saving configuration, reportedly not compromising the space within the SUV. The Kona Electric has a long-range battery version good for 449 km, with a power output of 204ps and 395Nm. Thanks to immediate torque, 0-100kph zips by in 7.6 seconds. The basic version delivers 289km on a single charge, with power output at 136ps.

The shift-by-wire operation module allows the driver to adjust the regenerative braking intensity by using the paddle shifters. The driver can hold the let pedal to bring the car to a full stop without use of the brakes.