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The Hyundai Kona Electric soldiers on alongside the ever-expanding Ioniq family.
Hyundai has announced a raft of updates for its longstanding Kona Electric, which is somewhat interesting considering the massive Ioniq brand push from the company.
The new model boasts a new look, with a fresh “Pixelated Seamless Horizon Lamp” full-width DRL on the nose, like what’s found on the Staria van. A similar strip is found on the boot, along with interesting rear lights pushed way out to the sides of the boot, basically mounted on the rear guards. These lights are again mirrored at the front.
Along the flanks are more angular creases than before, with defined wheel arches and a strong character line running just under the windows. Finally, a chrome strip wraps from the front windows around and over the rear spoiler.
Inside is a pair of 12.3-inch screens, one behind the steering wheel and the other for infotainment duties, a 12-inch head-up display, a relocated gear selector and a redesigned area for the driver controls around the steering wheel. There’s also vehicle-to-load capability, with one port inside the car and another next to the vehicle charging port.
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There are also new comfort seats up front with a “curveless bench seat” in the back, which apparently “maximises habitability and provides easy maintenance and a two-stage latch allows rear seat reclining.” Up to 488 litres of space is achievable by folding the rear seats.
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Not so sure about the lower rear lights though… A little bit Chris Bangle-inspired, maybe?
There are changes beneath the skin too, with European buyers offered Standard and Long Range configurations.
Standard Range Konas get a 48.4kWh battery with a 114kW/255Nm electric motor, while Long Range models get a 65.4kWh battery and a 160kW/255Nm motor.
This is interesting, as the power outputs seem to have dropped from before. Last update, Hyundai claimed 150kW/395Nm of output from a 64kWh battery.
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The new cabin gets larger screens and a redesigned dash area.
There’s a chance these will change if Hyundai NZ takes the model, as the release says they are European specifications.
Hyundai’s only range claim is for the larger battery, at “over 490km”. The new batteries also get 400 volt tech, which means charging from 10-80% will take as little as 41 minutes when plugged into a 100kW fast charger.
Kiwi pricing and specifications for the new Kona is yet to be confirmed, but we should be getting that information soon.
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