New Hyundai Venue SUV on the cards for SA

By Ané Theron

There's a good chance that Hyundai's smallest, most affordable SUV may be headed for South African shores towards the end 2019. 

 

It's not always clear where manufacturers get their cars' names from, but Hyundai typically goes for cities or regions, such as Kona in Hawaii or Tucson in Arizona. The new Hyundai Venue, strangely named after a noun, is meant to embody a  a trendy, buzzing place where everyone would like to be seen.  And judging from the warm reception it has received at the New York International Motor Show, it is going the be a hit among those fashionable, but budget-savvy urban dwellers.

While we still have no idea exactly how much the Venue will cost, we do know that it will come nicely specced, "with a host of premium driver safety and convenience technologies". Highlights include an 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen system and rear-view monitor with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto which includes app-based satnav,  audio streaming, and voice-controlled messaging and searching capabilities. Dual USB  ports will keep all phones fully charged.

Currently, the least expensive Hyundai SUV is the Creta 1.6 Executive, priced at R354 900, so the slightly smaller Venue will have to beat this figure by quite a bit if it is to "offer a unique, entry-level vehicle for customers who are looking for smart design combined with practical and technologically advanced features", as Stanley Andersen, sales  and operations director of Hyundai Automotive SA, says. Rumour has it that the new Venue will sport the same 1.6-litre normally aspirated engine as the above-mentioned Creta, but SA specs have not been released yet.

In the meantime, you can peruse over all of these Venue pics at leisure, and perhaps wait a little before spending your money on something else that hasn't quite captured your heart. We think the new Venue has a certain edge to it!