Photo: Hyundai
Scheduled to debut this fall, the Hyundai What’s-It-Called invites customers to “go big” or something. The automaker’s marketing mumbo-jumbo for the mystery model further promises connectivity and safety features “which will make it a leader in its class.”
Let that sink in for a minute, then take a look at the teaser. The black C-pillar and stylish taillights don’t look half bad, but heaven only knows what body style this is. What we do know is that we’re dealing with a European nameplate, likely the equivalent to the Venue in the United States.
Although described as a crossover, the front-wheel-drive Venue is nothing more than a five-door hatchback on stilts with more standard equipment than segment rivals. Chief operating officer Thomas Schmid made it clear in an interview at the beginning of the year that a mini-SUV would be appropriate because European demand is shifting towards subcompact crossovers.
Re-badging the Kia Stonic would be one thing, but such a model would interfere with the Hyundai Kona. An even smaller crossover would be preferable, something the size of the Venue mentioned beforehand. Arriving in the fall of 2019 for the 2020 model year, the Venue is 4,036 millimeters long and it’s slightly smaller for the Indian market (3,995 millimeters in length).
The Kia Seltos is the closest sibling to the Venue, and production also takes place in South Korea and India. Both models are available with a selection of three- and four-cylinder engines, N/A and turbocharged. There’s even the option for a dual-clutch transmission but AWD isn’t offered.
Digging deeper into what Hyundai has been up to in recent years, we’ve stumbled across the Saga electric CUV. The concept was revealed at the Sao Paulo Motor Show 2018 as a preview for the next generation of the HB20X subcompact crossover, featuring an extremely similar C-pillar design to the vehicle in the teaser. Over in Europe, the equivalent to the HX20X is the i20 Active.
Although described as a crossover, the front-wheel-drive Venue is nothing more than a five-door hatchback on stilts with more standard equipment than segment rivals. Chief operating officer Thomas Schmid made it clear in an interview at the beginning of the year that a mini-SUV would be appropriate because European demand is shifting towards subcompact crossovers.
Re-badging the Kia Stonic would be one thing, but such a model would interfere with the Hyundai Kona. An even smaller crossover would be preferable, something the size of the Venue mentioned beforehand. Arriving in the fall of 2019 for the 2020 model year, the Venue is 4,036 millimeters long and it’s slightly smaller for the Indian market (3,995 millimeters in length).
The Kia Seltos is the closest sibling to the Venue, and production also takes place in South Korea and India. Both models are available with a selection of three- and four-cylinder engines, N/A and turbocharged. There’s even the option for a dual-clutch transmission but AWD isn’t offered.
Digging deeper into what Hyundai has been up to in recent years, we’ve stumbled across the Saga electric CUV. The concept was revealed at the Sao Paulo Motor Show 2018 as a preview for the next generation of the HB20X subcompact crossover, featuring an extremely similar C-pillar design to the vehicle in the teaser. Over in Europe, the equivalent to the HX20X is the i20 Active.
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