Hyundai’s Vitara Brezza Rival To Be Called Venue!

• Hyundai Venue expected to launch in India by May.
• Could feature ‘next-gen’ connectivity features.
• To go head on against the Vitara Brezza, Ford Ecosport and XUV300

Hyundai has officially confirmed that its first ever sub-four metre SUV (codenamed the QXi) in India will be called the Venue. And as reported earlier, the all new Vitara Brezza rival will make its global debut at the New York International Motor Show on April 17, with a reveal in India simultaneously.

Marking Hyundai’s entry in the segment, the Venue is pegged to be a premium and feature-loaded offering, which will also debut what Hyundai calls ‘next-gen’ connectivity features. While there is no confirmation yet on what these features could be, Hyundai entered into a partnership last year with Autotalks, a leading automotive tech company, to develop next-gen chipsets for its future cars.

These chipsets help enable connected features such as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The Venue could preview some of these features at its global reveal in New York.

Being a Hyundai, the Venue is expected to get a bucket load of features to help it carve its own space in a segment overcrowded with the likes of the Vitara Brezza, Ford Ecosport, Tata Nexon and the recently launched XUV300.

It’s likely to get a touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, climate control, steering-mounted controls, a detailed driver information display and rear AC vents. Meanwhile, cruise control, wireless mobile charging and ventilated seats could also make the cut.

In terms of looks, the teasers and spy pictures released earlier have already confirmed that the Venue will get Creta-like styling with a compact packaging. But what will differentiate it from its elder sibling are the bumper-integrated headlamps (like the Palisade) and an all-new cascading grille. It will also get sleek LED DRLs along with a sunroof.

To be offered with both petrol and diesel motors, the Venue is expected to get a new 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine, along with a 1.4-litre diesel borrowed from the Elite i20. While the petrol makes 120PS of power and 170Nm of torque, the diesel can churn out 90PS and 220Nm. Transmission duties could be handled by a dual-clutch auto on the petrol and a six-speed manual on the diesel. Hyundai might also offer the Venue with a 1.4-litre petrol mated to a manual gearbox.

Expected to be priced in the range of Rs 8 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, the Hyundai Venue could hit showrooms by May end in India.

So what do you think of the Venue? Would it give the Vitara Brezza a run for its money here? Do let us know and stay tuned to ZigWheels.