Remember the frumpy Hyundai Azera? It looks really awesome now – Roadshow

Hyundai designs are nailing it these days, in my opinion.


Hyundai

The photo directly above this text shows the upcoming, refreshed Hyundai Azera. I guarantee you, if someone showed that photo to me in 2017, I’d never believe that’s how far the Azera would come.

Yet, it’s true. Hyundai on Thursday tweeted a handful of teaser images showing the refreshed Azera, which is called the Grandeur in some markets around the world. The US hasn’t been treated to the large sedan since 2017 when the company dropped the Azera from its lineup, but it’s soldiered on around the world.

Back in 2018, however, it seemed like Hyundai could be prepared to try its hand again at the large sedan segment. Despite Genesis taking over the more luxurious side of things, Hyundai Motor Company filed a trademark application for the “Grandeur” name here in the US. Why would Hyundai do that? It’s not clear.

At the time, Hyundai said it wouldn’t comment on future products. Roadshow contacted Hyundai again on Thursday to see if it had any information to share today and the company didn’t specifically address the “Grandeur” trademark. The trademark, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, was last updated in February of this year and published for opposition.

If Hyundai wasn’t serious, it seems odd that it would move forward to the opposition comment period, where others can file an opposition to granting a company the trademark for various reasons. It’s been well over 30 days since then and the USPTO still lists the trademark application as live.

Typically, it’s easy to take trademark and patent applications with a grain of salt; however, Hyundai’s never used the Grandeur name in the US and it still wants to protect it. That’s what seems to give the car a shot at making its way back to America with its grander Grandeur identity.

If the car does come back, it will look swell with its seriously futuristic integrated grille and headlight design. The rear end gets a nifty horizontal LED taillight, and the interior ditches the analog look for what appears to be all touchscreens, all the time. Boy, if the 2020 Hyundai Sonata and its sweeping LED lights in the hood were just the start, the Grandeur/Azera seriously kick things up a notch.


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source: cnet.com