Photo: Hyundai
Known as Kauai in Portugal, the Kona was redesigned for the 2024 model year inside and out. As ever, prospective customers are presented with ICEs, a hybrid option, plus electric propulsion.
The most expensive of the bunch is – of course – the Kona Electric. Now in production at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech in the Czech Republic, this fellow costs a pretty penny. Over in Germany, which is the largest new car market in the European Union, prices kick off at 41,990 euros or 45,630 dollars at current exchange rates. In the United Kingdom, where the first generation still is available to configure, make that £34,995 and £32,450.
Those prices convert to $44,510 for the newcomer and $41,270 for the first generation. It's reassuring to see a company keeping it sensible from one generation to the next. Hyundai didn't really have a choice, though, for it works toward offering exclusively zero-emission vehicles by 2035 in this part of the world. The Ford Motor Company will switch to EVs only in Europe by decade's end.
It should also be noted that Hyundai's first EV assembled in Europe is the Kona Electric, which entered production at HMMC in 2020. The Kona Electric is also manufactured in South Korea at the automaker's Ulsan production complex. Hyundai claims that more than 70 percent of Euro-market vehicles are produced in Europe in order to shorten delivery times in response to growing demand.
The South Korean automaker expected the 2024 model year Kona Electric to account for 15 percent of the Czech Republic-based plant's total production output. More than 21,000 units are scheduled for production by the end of 2023, and next year, approximately 50,000 will be made at HMMC.
In addition to Europe, said vehicles will be exported to 20 additional countries, including Turkey, Israel, Guadalupe Island (off the coast of Mexico), and Reunion Island (near Madagascar and Mauritius). The right-hand-drive Kona Electric isn't exclusive to the UK and Ireland, but also heading to Cyprus, the third-largest island in the Mediterranean.
Hyundai tasked LG Energy Solution with the production of the battery cells for the Kona Electric, which are manufactured in Poland. The cells are then assembled into battery packs at HMMC.
The Kona Electric is available in two main specifications: 48.4 kWh and 65.4 kWh. The lesser variant packs 114.6 kW (156 ps or 154 hp) in the form of a front-mounted electric motor, and its WLTP-rated driving range is 377 kilometers (234 miles). The larger battery is connected to a 160-kW electric motor (218 ps or 215 hp). The combined range is estimated at 514 kilometers (319 miles).
In Germany, the Kona Electric features a single well-equipped trim level that includes 17-inch alloys, dual 12.25-inch displays for the infotainment system and instrument cluster, a reversing camera, parking assistance fore and aft, and over-the-air updates. The standard-range variant can be optioned with a heat pump as part of the Efficiency Package, which costs 1,200 euros or 1,300 dollars at current exchange rates. British customers are presented with four trims, and all four come with said heat pump as standard.
Those prices convert to $44,510 for the newcomer and $41,270 for the first generation. It's reassuring to see a company keeping it sensible from one generation to the next. Hyundai didn't really have a choice, though, for it works toward offering exclusively zero-emission vehicles by 2035 in this part of the world. The Ford Motor Company will switch to EVs only in Europe by decade's end.
It should also be noted that Hyundai's first EV assembled in Europe is the Kona Electric, which entered production at HMMC in 2020. The Kona Electric is also manufactured in South Korea at the automaker's Ulsan production complex. Hyundai claims that more than 70 percent of Euro-market vehicles are produced in Europe in order to shorten delivery times in response to growing demand.
The South Korean automaker expected the 2024 model year Kona Electric to account for 15 percent of the Czech Republic-based plant's total production output. More than 21,000 units are scheduled for production by the end of 2023, and next year, approximately 50,000 will be made at HMMC.
In addition to Europe, said vehicles will be exported to 20 additional countries, including Turkey, Israel, Guadalupe Island (off the coast of Mexico), and Reunion Island (near Madagascar and Mauritius). The right-hand-drive Kona Electric isn't exclusive to the UK and Ireland, but also heading to Cyprus, the third-largest island in the Mediterranean.
Hyundai tasked LG Energy Solution with the production of the battery cells for the Kona Electric, which are manufactured in Poland. The cells are then assembled into battery packs at HMMC.
The Kona Electric is available in two main specifications: 48.4 kWh and 65.4 kWh. The lesser variant packs 114.6 kW (156 ps or 154 hp) in the form of a front-mounted electric motor, and its WLTP-rated driving range is 377 kilometers (234 miles). The larger battery is connected to a 160-kW electric motor (218 ps or 215 hp). The combined range is estimated at 514 kilometers (319 miles).
In Germany, the Kona Electric features a single well-equipped trim level that includes 17-inch alloys, dual 12.25-inch displays for the infotainment system and instrument cluster, a reversing camera, parking assistance fore and aft, and over-the-air updates. The standard-range variant can be optioned with a heat pump as part of the Efficiency Package, which costs 1,200 euros or 1,300 dollars at current exchange rates. British customers are presented with four trims, and all four come with said heat pump as standard.
Google News