Hyundai launches new SUV Venue for single lifestyles

Hyundai Motor Co. has launched the Venue, its all-new entry-level sport utility vehicle (SUV), the carmaker’s smallest SUV targeting younger generations.

Hyundai held an event marking the release of the SUV at a large café in Yongin, just southeast of Seoul, on Thursday. The carmaker said that the Venue has an optimized space for “single lifestyles” and is mounted with its next-generation 1.6-liter gasoline engine. Its safety features include forward collision-avoidance assist, driver attention warning and lane-keeping assist.

The vehicle also features a two-wheel-drive rough road driving mode, which Hyundai claims will ensure stable driving on various road conditions including snowy roads.

Hyundai Motor aims to sell about 15,000 Venues per year. “The Venue is optimized for customers who enjoy single-person lifestyles,” Hyundai Motor Executive Vice President Lee Kwang-guk said in a press briefing, promoting the vehicle as “safe and easy to drive.”


Seok-Jun Bae eulius@donga.com