Hyundai Motor Co., Korea’s top automaker, unveiled Thursday the long-awaited new version of its upper-end passenger vehicle, the Grandeur.

The fifth-generation Grandeur, sold as the Azera in overseas markets including the United States, is the first version out in nearly five years since May 2005.

“We are confident the new Grandeur will add to the class and pride of its customers as it comes with a new GDI engine, nine-airbag system and various other safety features that offer the best qualities and performance of a passenger vehicle, as well as high fuel efficiency and driving safety,” the company said in a press release.

A showcase will be held later Thursday at a Seoul hotel where the newest Hyundai vehicle will be fully revealed for the first time.

The vehicle comes in two trims ― with a 2.4-liter gasoline direction injection (GDI) engine or a 3.0-liter GDI engine that produces a maximum horsepower of 270 and maximum torque of 31.6 kilogram-meters at its peak.

The 2.4-liter engine produces a maximum horsepower of 201, but has a higher fuel efficiency of 12.8 kilometers per liter, compared to 11.6km per liter of the 3.0-liter model.

Along with its new and powerful performance, the new Grandeur is also expected to become the safest vehicle ever produced by Hyundai as it comes with the latest and most advanced safety features, the company said.

The new vehicle dynamic control and vehicle stability management (VSM) systems allow for safe driving even under extreme weather conditions.

Hyundai also went a step further than its competitors, installing a new tire pressure monitoring system and an emergency stop signal that will help prevent accidents, while also adding an additional airbag for knees to the conventional eight-airbag system to better protect the vehicle’s driver and front-seat passenger.

For convenience, the automaker added a new smart cruise control system, making the Grandeur the first vehicle produced and sold in Korea with a cruise control system.

The new Grandeur is expected to hit overseas markets later in the year, according to Hyundai.

“The company expects to sell about 120,00 units of the vehicle worldwide in 2012 when the new Grandeur will really begin hitting the global market, including the North American market,” it said.

The local price of the Grandeur 2.4 is set at 31.12 million won ($27,945) with the price of a 3.0-liter model varying from 34.24 million won to 39.01 million won, depending on the package of additional features selected.

Hyundai introduced its first Grandeur in 1986 and has since sold some 1.25 million units, including 270,000 units in overseas markets. (Yonhap News)