In January, AutoGuide discovered Hyundai had applied to trademark the name “Venue” with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. In February, we posted on a report that Hyundai would bring an A-segmentcrossover with the global name “Styx” to the New York Auto Show. Turns out Venue is the name here, and it will slot into the lineup as the entry-level option, under the Kona.
Hyundai says the name “references a ‘place’ where people want to be seen, or in this case, inside the vehicle. The Venue symbolizes a trendy, unique style, perfect for Hyundai’s newest and smallest CUV.”
The name is a break from the rest of a range named after cities in western North America: Palisade from Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, Santa Fe in New Mexico, Tucson in Arizona, and Kona, Hawaii. The styling will make a break, too, as the Venue’s been designed for “urban entrepreneurs” and needs to make the most of a tiny footprint. Hyundai chief designer Sang-Yup Lee told Motor Trend earlier this year that we’d see a “very very distinctive two box area” and a “very boxy, bold, bulldoggy character.”
An Australian report said the crossover will be showrooms down there later this year, so Hyundai doesn’t plan to make those urban impresarios wait too long between reveal and retail. The debut happens on April 17 at 10:45 a.m. Eastern Time, and Hyundai’s livestream will incorporate some kind of augmented reality.