Hyundai upgrades Venue for an extra $500

HYUNDAI Motor Company Australia (HMCA) is primed and ready to roll out its MY21 Venue light SUV range which has been given a series of specification upgrades ahead of the new model year as the brand reacts to “perceived shortfalls in spec”.

With prices rising $500 for all three variants, HMCA has made a series of changes both shared by and unique to each variant with the biggest upgrade coming in the form of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the base- and mid-spec Venue (previously Go) and Active.

Now able to be had from $20,690 plus on-road costs in manual guise and $22,710 for the automatic, other upgrades to the base Venue include 15-inch alloy wheels, centre console storage bin with sliding top, heated door mirrors and premium cloth seats.

The Active ($22,620/$24,640) meanwhile scores the same tech and storage upgrades on top of its usual spec but also adds premium seat bolsters and 17-inch alloy wheels, the latter of which was first outlined in July.

At the top of the range is the Elite ($26,490) which is adding a sunroof to its repertoire as well as a smart key with push-button start and the aforementioned centre console storage bin.

According to HMCA corporate communications general manager Bill Thomas, the spec upgrades to the Venue have been primarily driven by customer and dealer feedback.

“We are reacting to perceived shortfalls in spec and it’s important to have the flexibility from the factory to give us these changes promptly,” he said.

“The standard 17-inch wheel change for the Active is a particularly strong upgrade, given that some sentiment told us that the car looks a little ‘under-wheeled’ with the smaller 15s.”

Back July, HMCA chief operating officer John Kett told GoAuto the Venue had not enjoyed the same level of initial success as the brand was hoping for and attributed the slow start to the under-specification of the Go (now Venue) and Active grades as well as the COVID-19 induced initial delay of Elite stock.

Now however things have reportedly picked up with the Venue occupying 14.2 per cent of the light SUV segment with 3099 sales this year to the end of October.

“Sales are strong for Venue and we are happy with the way it’s progressing, especially given it is still a relative newcomer to the market,” Mr Thomas said.

“As more are seen on the road, we expect sales to strengthen even further.”

While sales are on the rise, the Venue has a long way to go if it wants to stand any hope of usurping the current light SUV sales king, the Mazda CX-3, which has a 50.7 per cent stranglehold on the segment with 11,058 sales to the end of October.

For reference, all Venues are powered by the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine developing 90kW/151Nm, all of which is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission depending on the variant.

2021 Hyundai Venue pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs