Hyundai Body-On-Frame SUV Rendered To Battle Tahoe

At this point, there's no stopping the SUV train. Buyers face a gazillion choices in a wide range of sizes, but there's one SUV segment where competition is still on the thin side. Burly full-size, body-on-frame models are few and far between, and it's a segment that Hyundai is rumored to be eying up. To give us a taste of what such a vehicle might be like, we have this unofficial rendering from Enoch Gonzales at Behance.net.

Actually, Gonzales created several variations of this fictional Hyundai in a range of colors and features that you can see at his Behance page, but the base design is still the same. It adopts an interesting take on Hyundai's family grille by dropping a crossbar in the center section. It certainly flies in the face of current larger-than-life grille designs, but it does give this SUV a distinctive face. The thin daytime lamps and chunky headlights are more in line with Hyundai's design language, and the backside draws a bit of inspiration from the Kona with its upper and lower bank of lights.

At this point, such a vehicle is pure speculation. We've spotted no camouflaged prototypes, but rumors have burbled that the automaker is at least considering the full-size segment. Last year, Hyundai trademarked the name Pavise in New Zealand, and in a recent interview with Carsales.au, Hyundai Motor Group Head of Global Product Management Lorenz Glaab alluded to plans for something slotting above the Palisade. In these renderings, Gonzales envisions a revival of Hyundai's Terracan moniker for the name, which was last used in 2007 on a short-lived mid-size SUV that shared underpinnings with the Mitsubishi Pajero.

Entering the full-size market could be lucrative if prices are kept in-check. In 2019, General Motors sold upwards of 250,000 body-on-frame SUVs once you combine sales of the Chevy Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade. It's an area where competition is relegated to just a handful of choices, but with GM's dominance of the segment spanning decades, it would be a hard nut for Hyundai to crack open.