Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India on Thursday launched its updated sub-compact SUV, the Venue starting at INR 7.53 lakh, ex-showroom India for the Kappa E 1.2L MPi petrol variant. The Kappa S (O) 1.0L turbo GDi petrol and U2 S+ 1.5 CRDi diesel start from INR 9.99 lakh, ex-showroom, India.
Based on the company’s K2 platform, the new model features radical design changes, both on the front and the rear, while the side remains mostly identical.
At the front, the new model features a dark chrome front grille and a new design for the DRLs, while at the rear, it connects LED Tail Lamps with unique vertical design elements with a hexagonal cut crystal design. The car also gets a new set of 16-inch dual-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels.
Chohee Park, Head Of Department, Hyundai India Advance Design Team, said the new Venue follows the company’s latest design language, ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ with ‘Trendsetting’ design completing the SUV lineup from the company.
The new SUV is powered by three engine options - 1.2L petrol, 1.0L turbo petrol and a 1.5L diesel mill. The non-turbo petrol unit mated to a 5-speed manual transmission produces 83 PS of power and 114 Nm of torque, while the turbo petrol unit mated to a 6-speed iMT or 7-speed DCT delivers 120 PS of power and 172 Nm of torque.
The 1.5L CRDi engine comes mated to a 6-speed MT option only and produces 100 Ps and 240 Nm of torque.
The carmaker has introduced Home to Car (H2C) with Alexa & Google voice assistant, which will allow customers to control an array of functions, including Remote Climate Control, Remote Door Lock/ Unlock, Remote Vehicle Status Check, Find My Car, Tyre Pressure Information, Fuel Level Information, Speed Alert, Time Fencing (Out-of-Time) Alert and Idle Time Alert in English and Hindi languages.
The company has also updated the vehicle with Drive Mode Select, 2-step rear reclining seat and sounds of nature feature, among others. Also updated is Hyundai’s proprietary connected car app Bluelink with Firmware Over-the-Air (FOTA) update, Embedded Voice Commands along with support for 12 languages, including English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Oriya.
Other highlights from the features list include fully automatic climate control with digital display, rear AC vents, cooled glovebox, wireless phone charger, front and rear USB-C type charger, cruise control Smart Key, push-button start, 8-inch infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster with TFT MID to name a few.
While on the safety side, the vehicle comes with six airbags, automatic headlamps, parking assist rear camera, cornering lamps, Vehicle Stability Management, TPMS, Hill Assist Control, ABS and ESC, among others.
Available in seven colour options, including Polar White, Typhoon Silver, Phantom Black, Denim Blue, Titan Grey, Fiery Red, and one dual-tone Fiery Red with Black roof option, the compact SUV comes with three years standard warranty with three years RSA.
Unsoo Kim, MD, HMI, said, launched in 2019, the company has sold over three lakh units of the Venue compact SUV. Of the 2.5 lakh SUVs the company sold in 2021, 42% was contributed by the Venue, he said.
Tarun Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing & Service), Hyundai Motor India, noted that Indian consumers are shifting to higher-priced vehicles, with the company witnessing 41% of its sales coming from vehicles priced above the INR 10 lakh mark in 2022.