2023 Hyundai Venue facelift spied testing
Hyundai’s smallest SUV will soon receive an update, overseas spy photos suggest – though it’s still at least 12 months from Australian showrooms.
What appears to be a facelifted 2023 Hyundai Venue has been snapped testing in South Korea, though it’s believed the updated vehicle is at least a year away from Australian showrooms.
Images posted to Korea’s Autospy show a right-hand-drive Venue prototype testing beneath heavy camouflage, and while the black cladding makes specific styling details hard to discern, new front and rear lighting signatures can be seen – including LEDs up front (versus the halogens currently offered as standard in Australia).
The tail-lights have also been reworked with signatures reminiscent of Hyundai’s US-market Santa Cruz ute, joining other updates including a new 17-inch wheel design, and a revised grille carrying a studded pattern similar to the new-generation Tucson mid-size SUV.
Details of other updates to the Venue are remain thin on the ground, however reasonable speculation would suggest some of Hyundai’s latest interior, safety and powertrain technologies could make their way to the city-sized SUV.
Significant interior technology updates are unlikely, given the current Venue already features Hyundai’s latest 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone mirroring technology – and items such as a digital instrument cluster and larger infotainment screen could be deemed too premium for the vehicle’s budget-focused positioning.
The Korean brand’s latest active safety features could be added, including a more advanced autonomous emergency braking system, adaptive cruise control, safe exit warning, and braking functionality for the blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert systems.
It’s possible the 88kW/172Nm 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine currently available in Indian-market Venues could spread to other markets – if only in a different state of tune – to complement or replace the existing 90kW/151Nm 1.6-litre non-turbo four-cylinder.
Given the extent of the camouflage worn by the prototype, expect the facelifted 2023 Hyundai Venue to make its global debut sometime in 2022.
Hyundai Australia couldn’t comment on the prospects of the facelifted model for our market, however it’s understood the updated Venue wouldn’t reach Australian showrooms until 2023 – suggesting a global unveiling in the second half of 2022.
Launched locally in September 2019, the Venue remains a steady seller for Hyundai Australia, with 4345 examples reported sold in the first nine months of 2021 – placing it fifth in the ‘light SUV’ segment, behind the Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross, Kia Stonic and Volkswagen T-Cross.
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