The Hyundai Venue is an affordable compact SUV, designed for young families in 30 emerging economies, with India as its key market.
As a young interior designer who had just landed the job, I won the internal design competition, and developed the full cabin from key sketch and multiple hard models, alongside mentor and co-designer Eric-Yann Coulouvrat. Unveiled in New Delhi in November 2025, the car earned third place in the Urban category at the 2026 World Car Awards.
DESIGN PROCESS
With a sales price under 8.5K EUR (10K USD) for the base spec, the main challenge was to design the most premium and comfortable space for the lowest possible cost. Additionally, the brief called for an interior experience where fresh air is central to the user journey, specifically addressing humid climates and megacities with low air quality.
Consequently, the dashboard architecture was designed around the air vents as the centerpiece of the user experience, with air purifiers and aroma diffusers integrated directly into them.
Connected by a single bar, both side and center vents are merged into one unit, saving costs and emphasizing the width of the interior to enhance the notion of spaciousness in this compact car. The rest of the dashboard wraps around this integrated vent bar in a sweeping gesture, as shown in the theme exploration sketches above. 
To fulfill the aim of offering a premium and comfortable space, the seats take inspiration from timeless furniture design, such as the Eames Lounge Chair. The backrest features a similar structural shell, wrapping around a two-level pillow structure for enhanced comfort.
Continuing the furniture theme, the large 62.5 cm display is integrated seamlessly into the dashboard (a segment-first in India!), inspired by premium home entertainment cabinets rather than traditional 'cockpit' layouts,
FINAL DESIGN RENDERS
Not bad for a car that costs less than 8,500 EUR right? Even the most basic spec comes with white dashboard trim panels and brightwork accents ... rather than having black plastic everywhere!
Left: the coffee-table inspired center console with a sleek ambient light strip all around. Right: the curved panoramic display, consisting of a dual 12.3” + 12.3” screen set-up (one acting as digital cluster, the other one for multi-media and navigation).
PRESS PHOTOS
Left: dark-chrome pedal shifters. Right: the terrazzo-inspired speckle finish of the vent bar on the dashboard. Below: a small magnetic 'memo board' placed on the right of the display, that I designed to hold everyday reminders, post-its, or photos from loved ones.
The center console houses USB-C charge ports as well as a wireless (Qi) charge pad for your phone.
N-LINE (SPORTIER VERSION)
The sportier N-line version is tailored to the more driver-oriented customer, reflected by the more serious black and dark chrome trim, accentuated by the red stitches and ambient lighting. The N-line also comes with a sportier gear lever, and a performance steering wheel with extra buttons for more advanced driving configurations.
NEW DELHI REVEAL, NOV 2025
Photography courtesy of Hyundai Motor India Limited, Team-BHP.com, and DailyRevs.com. Used strictly for portfolio purposes. All rights reserved by their respective owners.