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Boxier styling and overhauled technology have been added to the baby of the petrol Hyundai SUV range, but Australia could continue with the current iteration for now.
Hyundai has given its smallest petrol-powered SUV – the 2026 Hyundai Venue – a high-tech makeover with technology from the most expensive cars in the Korean brand's range.
However, the new Venue revealed in India in recent days will skip Australia for the time being, in favour of an extended life for the current model in local showrooms since 2019.
"As with all new models we will review the business case and suitability for our market, but in this instance there are no plans to launch the India-sourced Venue locally," a Hyundai spokesperson told Drive.
Australian examples of today's Venue are manufactured in South Korea, and are slightly larger than Indian models, which are compacted to unlock tax benefits for vehicles less than four metres long.
Should the second-generation model expand to South Korean production, it would open the door to Australia.
The second-generation model continues to slot under that marker – at 3995mm long – but is wider (1770mm, up 30mm) and taller (1665mm, up 48mm) than before in Indian-market form.
It is 20mm longer between the front and rear wheels (2520mm) – now matching current Australian models – for improved rear-seat space.
New split-level LED headlights draw inspiration from other cars in the Indian Hyundai range, plus a simpler rear end with an LED tail-light bar, and available 16-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, the Venue has received a technology boost with two large 12.3-inch displays – an infotainment touchscreen and an instrument cluster – combined into a curved panel.
The same screens are seen in Hyundais up to the flagship $120,000 Ioniq 9 electric SUV in Australia, running updated software incorporating satellite navigation.
There's a new steering wheel in an updated design, 'VENUE' script debossed into a "terrazo-textured" dashboard panel, and two-tone leather-look upholstery in navy blue and light grey.
Hyundai has kept physical climate controls and a traditional gear shifter alongside the new screens, plus white ambient lighting, single-zone climate control with rear air vents, and a four-way power-adjustable driver's seat.
The new Venue claims improved rear legroom from the longer wheelbase and scooped front seatbacks, as well as wider door openings, and reclining rear seats with greater bolstering.
Limited technical details of the new Venue have been confirmed, but the similar footprint may mean it is an evolution of the current model, not an all-new vehicle.
Indian models will offer the same range of engines as the current model in the region, across 1.2-litre non-turbo petrol four-cylinder, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder, and 1.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder.
None of these engines are currently offered in Australian models, which instead fit a 90kW/151Nm 1.6-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine.
Should the new Venue come to Australia from Hyundai's Indian factory, it would most likely offer the 1.0-litre turbo engine, which produces 88kW/172Nm in the first-generation model.
More details of the 2026 Hyundai Venue are expected to be released in the coming days, as the vehicle goes on sale in India.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
