Photo: CarPix
Hyundai stopped making the Kona in China about two years ago, and they will also pull the plug on the current iteration in other markets. However, the subcompact crossover won't die for good, as it will be refreshed by an entirely new generation.
There isn’t much to report on when it comes to the exterior design, save for the removed vinyl, as the thick camouflage is still present, and so is that hump. It also has new wheels compared to our previous sighting, and that’s about all.
Don’t go anywhere yet, because we still haven’t told you about the interior, as this prototype was generous enough to partially reveal its new dashboard for the camera. And that’s not everything it did, because the massive screen, combining the digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and the infotainment system in the middle, was also visible in a premiere.
In all likelihood, we might be looking at the same unit found in the Hyundai Ioniq 5. It sure seems to have about the same size and will be a radical departure from the tablet-like display equipping the current Kona.
Wide central air vents can be seen below it, right above a few physical buttons that read ‘home,’ ‘map,’ ‘search,’ ‘media,’ ‘seek,’ and ‘track,’ which you do know what they’re for, don’t you? The button for the hazard lights sits in the middle of the dashboard, and the controls for the HVAC were positioned further down. There is also a hole next to the knob used to control the volume, and that’s probably for the push-start button.
The new multi-function steering wheel, with no flat-bottom design, is visible too, and so is the door card on the driver’s side, that still features the window and side mirror controls. The cup holders were mounted further back than on the current Kona, as they can be found between the front seats.
Hyundai is rumored to build the next Kona on a new platform that could be shared with the upcoming Seltos. Base models will feature front-wheel drive, and the all-wheel drive system should be reserved for upper specs. Expect the usual gasoline and perhaps diesel engines to be joined by all sorts of electrified assemblies, a battery-electric variant that might get the Ioniq name, and a hot flavor part of the Hyundai N family.
Some say that the new Kona might replace the i30 hatchback altogether, but we wouldn’t believe it just yet. There is enough time for even more speculation, as it is expected to enter production in the first half of next year.
Don’t go anywhere yet, because we still haven’t told you about the interior, as this prototype was generous enough to partially reveal its new dashboard for the camera. And that’s not everything it did, because the massive screen, combining the digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and the infotainment system in the middle, was also visible in a premiere.
In all likelihood, we might be looking at the same unit found in the Hyundai Ioniq 5. It sure seems to have about the same size and will be a radical departure from the tablet-like display equipping the current Kona.
Wide central air vents can be seen below it, right above a few physical buttons that read ‘home,’ ‘map,’ ‘search,’ ‘media,’ ‘seek,’ and ‘track,’ which you do know what they’re for, don’t you? The button for the hazard lights sits in the middle of the dashboard, and the controls for the HVAC were positioned further down. There is also a hole next to the knob used to control the volume, and that’s probably for the push-start button.
The new multi-function steering wheel, with no flat-bottom design, is visible too, and so is the door card on the driver’s side, that still features the window and side mirror controls. The cup holders were mounted further back than on the current Kona, as they can be found between the front seats.
Hyundai is rumored to build the next Kona on a new platform that could be shared with the upcoming Seltos. Base models will feature front-wheel drive, and the all-wheel drive system should be reserved for upper specs. Expect the usual gasoline and perhaps diesel engines to be joined by all sorts of electrified assemblies, a battery-electric variant that might get the Ioniq name, and a hot flavor part of the Hyundai N family.
Some say that the new Kona might replace the i30 hatchback altogether, but we wouldn’t believe it just yet. There is enough time for even more speculation, as it is expected to enter production in the first half of next year.
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