Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) is aiming to register a 20 per cent growth in volumes of its popular compact SUV, the Hyundai Venue, with the introduction of the crossover’s latest model in the country.
The second-generation Venue, codenamed QU22i, has arrived as a full-model change (FMC) after more than six years since its launch in May 2019. Since then, the sub-four-metre crossover has emerged as the Korean carmaker’s second-highest-selling car in India after the Creta.
The outgoing model clocked cumulative sales of over 700,000 units during its 77-month product lifecycle in the country, averaging around 9,000 units per month in the domestic market, with exports bringing another 600 units per month. With the new model, HMIL is aspiring for at least 20 per cent growth in overall numbers.
“On a realistic basis, we can see a 20 per cent upside in the overall volumes with the new Venue,” Tarun Garg, Whole-Time Director & COO, MD & CEO-designate, HMIL, told ETAuto.
The new Venue is built on a different platform – Hyundai Group’s reinforced K1 chassis – which also underpins the Kia Syros, which scored a full 5-star safety rating in its BNCAP crash test results published earlier this year. However, HMIL has not disclosed the new Venue’s crash results, and there is no word yet on whether any autonomous agency is conducting them.
The old Venue was based on Hyundai-Kia’s K2 platform, also deployed in the Kia Sonet, which has a 3-star adult-occupant protection and a 2-star child-occupant protection safety rating from Global NCAP to its credit.
Hyundai officials claim that the reinforced K1 platform on the new Venue has been significantly uprated, with up to 71 per cent high-strength steel in the critical load-bearing members of the chassis to enable robust crashworthiness.
The company also claims to have used 11 hot-stamped parts in the core structure to increase rigidity and enable lower NVH levels.
As an FMC, the QU2i features completely new sheet-metal panels for the body, giving the compact SUV a revamped exterior design. The car is being manufactured at HMIL’s newly-commissioned 170,000-unit annual capacity plant in Talegaon, near Pune.
Exterior and Styling
The new Hyundai Venue has grown in dimensions, with a 20mm longer wheelbase to 2,520mm; 30mm more width to 1,800mm; and is 48mm taller, to achieve a height of 1,665mm. The length remains consistent at 3,995mm, just like the outgoing model.
The compact SUV takes cues from the Hyundai Exter at the front, with the prominent Hyundai logo now moving up from the grille to the centre of the high-set bonnet in a brushed-aluminium finish. Hyundai is gradually moving away from energy-intensive chrome plating on parts such as emblems, garnishes, and door handles across most of its models, in line with sustainability goals.
A long, connected DRL strip runs across the length of the bonnet, while a glossy-finished flat grille with multiple blocks takes prominent space on the front bumper. A pair of multi-reflector flank the grille LED headlamp units, which also feature DRLs running vertically around them. The front bumper also features a large skid plate finished in a brushed-aluminium tone, lending the Venue an SUV-like appearance.
On the side, the car gets completely new doors with prominent bulges present around the shoulder area. A thick plastic cladding extends from the front fender to the top of the rear wheel arch, giving the car a rugged appeal. These are design cues from the Hyundai Exter, intended to make the new Venue look bulkier than the outgoing model.
The new 16-inch aero-optimised alloy wheels, roof rails, and a new silver applique with Venue badging on the C pillar also complement the side profile, which now features a larger quarter glass around the C pillar to let more light into the cabin.
The rear profile is the most well-designed portion of the new Hyundai Venue and is marked by a slim, connected LED tail lamp strip, with a spaced-out Venue logo enclosed in a transparent housing. The rear bumper also gets a chunky skid plate to complete the SUV-inclined styling of the car.
Interior and Technology
On the inside, the second-generation Hyundai Venue gets completely revamped injection-moulded parts, including the dashboard, door pads, and centre console. A sleek dashboard with vertically-styled corner AC vents, sleek horizontal central vents, and a crashpad with an embossed ‘Venue’ badge are the key design highlights. The dashboard and cabin get a dual-tone, dark blue-beige colour scheme.
A curved 12.3-inch touchscreen unit is positioned at the centre of the dashboard and tilted towards the driver, while a free-standing 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is placed in the driver’s straight-ahead position.
Both display units benefit from Nvidia’s built-in graphics, and the infotainment system is paired with an 8-speaker Bose sound system that delivers crisp notes even at high volumes.
A brand-new steering wheel with imported switches for infotainment, the cluster, and cruise control has been introduced to give the cabin a fresh ambience, embellished with touches like dual-tone upholstery and ambient lighting.
The car also gets a single-pane sunroof, a 6-way electronically adjustable driver’s seat, two-step reclining rear seats with a centre armrest, sunblinds for the rear window glass, and rear AC vents with USB charging slots. While HMIL has successfully increased rear legroom—a major constraint of the previous-generation model—it has come at the cost of rear under-thigh support and the omission of amenities like seat-back pockets.
On the technology front, Hyundai is believed to be using vehicle software designed by South Korean startup 42dot, which it acquired in 2022, to advance its transition towards software-defined vehicles, per industry sources.
The company has used up to 20 vehicle controllers with over-the-air (OTA) update capabilities, a central gateway for all ECUs, and Ethernet connectivity for prime functions such as the Level-2 ADAS suite.
Drivetrains & Drive Impressions
The new Hyundai Venue continues to offer three engine options: a 1.2-litre, 83hp, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine with a 5MT; a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, 118hp GDI mill with a 6MT or 7DCT; and a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, 114hp turbo-diesel unit with a 6MT or 6AT.
The GDI-manual and diesel-automatic are fresh additions to the line-up and are likely to be key enablers for Hyundai in achieving its 20 per cent higher-volume aspirations with the latest model.
The car also features an enthusiast-oriented N-Line trim in its 1.0-litre GDI guise, offering differentiation through suspension and steering calibration, sporty exterior elements, and an uprated exhaust system with audible notes.
On a drive in the diesel-automatic variant of the new Hyundai Venue in Goa, it became evident that the latest model has improved in areas such as interior room, NVH, and modern appeal, with features like bigger displays and an electronic parking brake with auto-hold functionality. While the driveability of the SCR-based 1.5-litre diesel engine is supreme, with well-controlled turbo lag and linear power delivery, the suspension setup on the new Venue is stiff at low speeds.
The suspension feels firm over potholes at speeds below 40 kph, and while the ride quality improves at higher speeds, there is perceptible body roll around corners, limiting the vehicle’s overall handling at highway speeds. However, the brake bite with all four disc brakes and straight-line stability remain on point.
Hyundai offers six airbags and ESC as standard on the new Venue and enhances safety with front- and rear-parking sensors, as well as radar-based Level-2 features such as adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, and autonomous emergency braking, upping the ante in overall vehicle safety.
The new Venue comes across as a well-polished product with high appeal for young and family buyers, with enhanced space and an onboard kit. However, the car could seem pricier than some of its rivals, such as the Skoda Kylaq, Tata Nexon, and Kia Sonet – all part of the highly competitive sub-four-metre compact SUV segment – which clock monthly volumes of 80,000-90,000 units.
As its second-best-selling model, Hyundai Motor India has a lot riding on the new Venue’s shoulders to proclaim its No. 2 position in India’s passenger vehicle market, wherein it is feeling intense competition from homegrown carmakers Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. The duo has been inching ahead of the Korean carmaker in several monthly performance metrics in the previous quarter.
Buyer affinity towards the Venue’s new design language and its overall value proposition will determine the fate of this compact SUV in the market.
