Will the U.S. Get a New Hyundai Azera?

CARS.COM — Hyundai released the first rendering of its redesigned Azera full-size sedan, but it has no plans to sell the car here. The drawing depicts a bold hexagonal grille that departs from Hyundai’s current styling for the likes of its just-launched Genesis luxury brand. The new model is due to hit showrooms by the end of November in the automaker’s South Korean home market. It’s a different direction from the automaker’s current lineup; indeed, Hyundai says the Azera “spearheads a new era” of design, but when will the U.S. get a taste?

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The “all-new Azera will not be sold in the U.S.,” Hyundai said in an emailed statement to Cars.com. “Considering the importance of Hyundai Motor’s flagship model in overseas markets, we are currently reviewing the possibility of introducing a U.S.-specific model that reflects the needs of customers in North America.”

Judging by the sales numbers, those needs are small. Amid consumer flight to SUVs, sedans have taken it on the chin in recent years. And the ballooning dimensions of mid-size family sedans over the past decade has run full-size sedans into something of a niche status even though some of them are pretty darn good. The sales numbers say it all: Among non-luxury cars, mid-size family cars have outsold their full-size counterparts through September by more than 5-to-1, according to Automotive News. Shoppers bought nearly as many Toyota Camry sedans this year as they did all non-luxury large sedans. And the Azera — with just 3,775 sold through September — is among its slowest sellers.

Still, this redesign might have changed that. Its headlights have some interesting horseshoe-shaped accents and a piece of ground-hugging brightwork spans the whole bumper. The profile is just as noteworthy: The cabin sits far behind a long, bulging hood; a rising cutline above the rear fenders recalls the outgoing Azera and the flat beltline evokes the full-size sedans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The new Azera could be a stunner.

Overseas shoppers will be the first, and likely the only, ones to find out. The sedan hits Korean showrooms as the Hyundai Grandeur. More information on the decision for a U.S. version “will be announced in due course,” Hyundai said.