A Hyundai official says the Korean firm has not ruled out expanding the new Venue range in South Africa by adding a diesel option.
At launch, each of the variants in the five-strong Venue line-up is powered by a turbocharged 1,0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine (as used in the Kona), mated with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
But Jebeen Lee, Hyundai’s head of product for overseas markets, told CARmag.co.za there was a possibility other powertrains could arrive at a later stage.
“Currently, we have introduced the model with one engine. But there are always possibilities to add a diesel or another powertrain later,” Lee told us.
In India (where Hyundai Automotive SA sources its Venue units), the small crossover is offered with the same 1,0-litre, three-cylinder engine, as well as a naturally aspirated 1,2-litre, four-cylinder petrol unit (as employed by the SA-spec i20 hatchback) and a 1,4-litre turbodiesel powerplant.
Lee furthermore confirmed there were no plans to offer an all-wheel-drive version of the Venue.
“We were trying to make it affordable. We have a 4×4 system but we didn’t apply it to this model; this is an entry SUV,” he said.
“But we do have some traction control features for other regions and we will monitor the response from customers. I think there’s a possibility of applying it later in the lifecycle of the Venue,” Lee added.
