Hyundai's fully revamped Kona SUV is bigger and sleeker than ever before

Industry

Published: 18 Jan. 2023, 10:33

Hyundai's fully revamped Kona SUV is bigger and sleeker than ever before

Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon introduces the fully revamped Kona SUV during an online event on Wednesday. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor introduced a fully revamped Kona SUV for the first time in five years. The new model is bigger and has substantial changes in the design of its exterior.

The SUV comes with a 1.6-liter gasoline, 2.0-liter gasoline or 1.6-liter gasoline hybrid engine. The fully electric version will be released in the second half.

With the wheelbase increased by 60 millimeters from the previous model, it comes with a more spacious interior. The wheelbase refers to the distance between the front and back wheels. The length of the entire vehicle grew by 145 millimeters.

The horizontal LED headlamp gives the vehicle a futuristic design, with the sides offering a sharper look that resembles Tucson SUV.

The model also comes with safety features that include front collision avoidance, lane-keeping assist, driver attention warning and parking collision avoidance systems.

The gasoline model boasts a maximum of 198 horsepower with 27 kilograms-meter of torque, while the hybrid model generates 105 horsepower with 14.7 kilograms-meter of torque.

The interior of the Kona [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

"The new Kona with innovative values will offer the market a higher standard," said Chang Jae-hoon, CEO of Hyundai Motor, during an online launching event Wednesday. "Kona will be the best option for customers who wish for a diverse lifestyle and to enjoy new challenges."

The sticker price of the gasoline model starts from 25 million won ($20,200). But the hybrid model begins from 31.2 million won, slightly more expensive than its rivals such as Niro SUV which starts from 26 million won.

Hyundai Motor aims to sell 37,000 units of the new Kona, and of those, 40 percent are estimated to be hybrid models.

First introduced in July 2017, Kona once dominated the small SUV market. But sales dramatically dropped in 2020 due to a series of fire incidents. Only 8,388 Konas were sold last year, the lowest figure for any SUV available from Hyundai.