In just over a year of its market debut, Hyundai has managed to sell 97,400 units of Venue in India and over 7,400 units were exported to international markets
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) launched the long-awaited Venue in the domestic market in May 2019. While the second-largest carmaker in the country announced its intentions to bring in a compact SUV by unveiling the Carlino concept at the 2016 Auto Expo, it took more than three years to enter the hotly contested segment to compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and Ford EcoSport.
The Venue arrived with several segment-first features and a wide engine choice and it has been an instant hit among customers. In its first six months, the Venue garnered more than 51,000 unit sales and beat Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza in many occasions in the monthly charts. Despite the ongoing health crisis, the production of the Venue has gone past the one lakh mark with 97,000 local unit sales and 7,400 units exported.
In February 2020, the South Korean manufacturer revealed prices of the BSVI Venue range with a conceivable price hike. With the price increase between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 51,000 for the diesel variant, the Venue costs from Rs. 6.70 lakh for the base 1.2E model to Rs. 11.50 lakh for the range-topping SX dual-tone option trim (both prices, ex-showroom, Mumbai).
Hyundai VENUE began creating new records right from its launch and became an SUV of Many Firsts:
- Within 1 year of launch, sale of 1,00,000 plus vehicles
- Highest selling sub-4-metre Compact SUV in CY 2020 in India (Jan-May).
- Nearly 44% of Venue sales coming from Kappa 1.0 l T-GDi Petrol engine, making it the most popular engine option
- Over 15,000 units sold of the Kappa 1.0 l T-GDi engine mated with 7-Speed DCT transmission
- 30% plus contribution from the 1.5 l U2 CRDi Diesel BS6 engine (Mar-Jun 2020)
- Over 30,000 customers have opted for VENUE variants with BlueLink connected technology
The Venue is sold in eleven petrol and six diesel trims across four grades namely E, S, SX, and SX(0). The 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated, four-cylinder petrol engine kicks out 83 horsepower and 115 Nm of peak torque and is paired with a five-speed manual transmission. The 1.4-litre, four-cylinder diesel unit, on the other hand, develops 90 horsepower and 220 Nm.
It is connected to a six-speed manual gearbox only. The 1.0-litre, three-cylinder T-GDi Kappa petrol delivers 120 horsepower and 172 Nm. The smaller petrol motor is paired with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Venue measures 3,995 mm in length, 1,770 mm in width and stands 1,590 mm tall with a wheelbase length of 2,500 mm.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. SS Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “Hyundai VENUE is India’s first Fully Connected SUV and most awarded Car of The Year 2019-20 setting a chord with New Age customers. Hyundai has been at the helm of innovation in the automotive industry, introducing revolutionary products and technologies that have established new benchmarks. With VENUE, we have pioneered Fully Connected technology for customers. Additionally, VENUE has paved the way to democratize Global Technologies such as Kappa 1.0 l T-GDi & 7-Speed DCT for Hyundai cars in India, offering customers’ excitement, delight and enhanced value.”
Some of the key equipment in the Hyundai Venue are BlueLink with 33 in-car connective features including location-based services and AI-based language inputs with Vodafone-Idea SIM, cruise control, sunroof, wireless charger, cooled glovebox, rear AC vents, reverse parking camera, Arkamys sound system, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system and so on.