Hyundai Grandeur Gets Pleos AI, Price Hikes in South Korea

The South Korean automotive market just got a new flagship contender. Hyundai Motor launched the facelifted Grandeur sedan on May 14, 2026, marking the first major update to the seventh-generation model in three years. The refresh brings Pleos Connect infotainment, a redesigned interior, and notably higher prices across the lineup.

Official sales began at the Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, where Yoon Hyo-jun, head of Hyundai Motor's Korea Business Division, presented the vehicle. The company stated the goal was defining what a premium sedan should have for modern customers. The exterior retains the overall silhouette but features a connected front grille with a new mesh pattern and slimmer headlamps and taillights.

The interior overhaul is where the real changes land. A 17-inch 16:9 central display now dominates the dashboard, running Pleos Connect. The driver's instrument cluster shrinks to a 9.9-inch slim display showing only essential information like speed and fuel gauge. Navigation details move to the central screen or head-up display, a layout Hyundai says keeps drivers focused on the road ahead (a problem that has plagued users for years, frankly).

According to the Chosunbiz announcement, Pleos includes Gleo AI, a large language model-based assistant. Testing showed responsive voice control—commands like "lower the rear-seat window" executed immediately. The system handles navigation, media, vehicle control, and knowledge searches through the steering wheel voice button.

Hyundai also reinstated physical buttons at the bottom of the screen, addressing customer complaints about fully touch-based controls. This decision came after widespread feedback that touch-only interfaces create safety issues while driving. The company balanced modernization with usability, something competitors often overlook when chasing screen real estate.

Powertrain options include gasoline 2.5, gasoline 3.5, LPG 3.5, and a new 1.6-liter turbo hybrid with the TEMDⅡ system. The hybrid combines a drive motor and starter motor, delivering 239 horsepower and 18 km per liter combined fuel economy. It reaches 100 kph in 8 seconds. The gasoline 2.5 trim produces 198 horsepower with 11.6 km per liter fuel economy on 18-inch tires.

Pricing represents the most contentious change. The gasoline 2.5 starting price rose from 37.98 million won to 41.85 million won. The gasoline 3.5 increased from 40.45 million won to 44.32 million won, and the LPG 3.5 from 38.65 million won to 43.31 million won. The top Calligraphy trim climbed approximately 5 million won, from 47.10 million won to 52.36 million won.

The hybrid model starts at 48.64 million won, though the final price reflecting eco-friendly vehicle tax benefits remains undisclosed pending government certification. The previous hybrid with tax benefits applied started at 43.54 million won. Whether the price premium translates to value depends on how much buyers actually use the AI features.

Independent reporting from Korea JoongAng Daily corroborates the pricing and confirms the Smart Vision Roof technology. This replaces mechanical blinds with polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film, allowing six independently controlled zones to adjust transparency. The roof enlarged by approximately 200 mm by 88 mm compared to the previous panoramic sunroof.

Additional features include powered air vents controlled through the display, electronic control suspension expanded to 19-inch wheel specifications, and highway body motion control. A memory reverse assist function remembers driving paths in narrow alleys and assists steering when reversing. Trunk capacity stands at 480 liters, holding four golf bags and two Boston bags.

The Grandeur sold more than 110,000 units two years ago and topped the best-seller list. Whether it can regain that reputation with the price increase remains uncertain. Pleos will install across all future Hyundai models, with smaller vehicle segments receiving smaller central displays and potentially omitting the driver-side auxiliary display.

Hyundai's Pleos system is expected to reach international markets through the Ioniq 3, slated for release in the second half of 2026. The Grandeur itself remains primarily tailored to the Korean market rather than overseas customers. This regional focus means the pricing strategy and feature set may not translate directly to other markets.

The technology stack is impressive on paper, but the real test comes when buyers open their wallets. A 5 million won increase on the top trim represents a significant premium for features that may feel gimmicky after the initial novelty wears off. Whether users actually pay for it remains the real question.

Time will tell if the Grandeur's AI assistant becomes a daily driver or just another feature gathering digital dust. For now, the car sits on dealer lots with a price tag that demands justification beyond a sleek screen and voice commands.

Artūras Malašauskas is an AI Systems Integrator with 20+ years of production-grade web engineering experience. He has designed, shipped, and scaled enterprise Python/PHP systems for logistics, SaaS, and public-sector clients. For the past year, he has focused exclusively on AI integrations: deploying open-source LLMs, building generative media pipelines (image, audio, video), and engineering multi-agent workflows for real production environments. His standard: reproducibility, security, cost-efficient inference—no vaporware. He documents and evaluates emerging AI tooling, separating verified capabilities from marketing noise. Technical editor at: muza-ai.eu, ai-verslas.lt, ai-naujinos.lt Connect on LinkedIn