It’s no secret that American love trucks and SUVs. So much so that in the last decade, many automakers have phased out some of their sedans and subcompact car offerings to focus more on their SUVs. Hyundai is the latest automaker to do so as the Korean automaker announced that it plans to kill off the Accent after this year in favor of one of its subcompact SUVs.

Which subcompact SUV will be the entry-level vehicle in Hyundai’s lineup?

After the 2022 Hyundai Accent runs its course, the Venue will now lead the charge as the brand’s entry-level model. According to Hyundai’s website, “[The Accent will be] discontinued due to an expanded SUV lineup that includes Venue. The Venue now serves as the entry-level model for the Hyundai brand.” It makes sense, considering Accent sales have declined in the past few years.

The Accent was redesigned back in 2018, but the new look didn’t do much to boost sales. According to Good Car Bad Car, Hyundai sold 58,955 Accents in 2017 and only sold 29,090 in 2018. After that point, the numbers dwindled even more. In contrast, Hyundai Venue sales have increased in the past couple of years.

Why would Hyundai choose the Venue over the Elantra as the entry-level vehicle?

Simply put, the Hyundai Venue costs less than the Elantra, so it makes sense that it would be the base model. For the 2022 model year, the Venue has a starting price of $19,000 while the Elantra has a starting price of $20,500. Also, the Hyundai Venue carries roughly the same specs and features as the outgoing Accent, which makes it a sensible replacement.

The Venue is also powered by the same 1.6-liter engine and IVT (CVT) transmission. Just like the Accent, it also comes standard with a plethora of safety features as well as Apple Carplay and Android Auto. However, the Hyundai Venue comes with a larger 8-inch infotainment touchscreen and a better sound system. Technically, buyers are getting a lifted Hyundai Accent with slightly better features from the get-go. That’s not a bad deal, as long as they can get over the Venue’s weird looks.

The Hyundai Elantra and Sonata are still around, but for how much longer?

While it’s sad to see small cars like the Hyundai Accent bow out, it’s only a matter of time before we see more leaving the market. As far as Hyundai’s lineup goes, buyers can still opt for an Elantra or Sonata, both of which include hybrid iterations as well. However, could the end be near for them as well?

We’ll have to wait and see. For now, we’ll just pour out a drip of motor oil for the Accent and the Veloster N, which Hyundai killed off as well. If anything, this means that cars like the Nissan Versa should be put on notice. After all, Nissan did kill off the Versa Note a couple of years ago, so we can almost be certain that the ax will fall hard once again.