XG300

This nameplate was Hyundai’s North American badge for the premium sedan that was sold in Korea as the Grandeur XG. The model arrived in the United States for the 2001 model year as Hyundai’s flagship sedan, giving the brand a more upscale showroom presence than its mainstream midsize offerings. It was part of the larger XG/Grandeur family that Hyundai introduced in Korea in 1998, but the XG300 designation itself was used in the U.S. only for a single model year. The car was positioned as a front-wheel-drive V6 sedan aimed at buyers shopping the near-luxury midsize class, combining a conservative four-door layout with more substantial size and equipment than earlier Hyundais. For 2002, the U.S. model was renamed XG350 after the engine upgrade, which ended the XG300 badge after its brief run. As a result, the XG300 is remembered as a one-year transitional nameplate in Hyundai’s move toward a more premium image in the American market.