A graph showing the global export sales of the Hyundai Kona EV has come to light on Facebook, showing that the percentage of models being delivered by the company is ramping up.
The all-electric version of the Kona has been very popular, and the 64kWh, 400km range model is due to arrive in Australia in early 2019, the South Korean automaker has previously said.
The graph, which was shared in a Facebook group for Hyundai EV enthusiasts, says that it represents factory delivery numbers but in fact the numbers are sourced from the South Korean automaker’s own sales figures.
It shows that while approximately half of all Kona EVs sold in all of 2018 were for the export market, that figure changed dramatically as the year went on.
With over 5,000 Hyundai Kona EVs now being sold a month, for the month of December export sales outweighed domestic (South Korean) sales fourfold.
The increase in sales overseas is no doubt a result of the expansion of the Kona markets across North America and Europe (and very soon, also Australia).
In Norway, it was sold out before the first Kona EV even reached Scandinavian soil, where the automaker reported in August 2018 that 20,000 orders had been taken (7,000 in one week alone!) – and it now looks like many Norwegian pre-order customers may be waiting well into 2020 to receive their Kona EV.
Canada is now also receiving deliveries, as was shown in a Facebook post in French last Tuesday.
Translated, the text reads: “We are proud to announce that hyundai valleyfield has been selected to deliver the first electric kona in Canada!
“A special event will take place on Tuesday, January 15 at 12 pm, where the senior management of Hyundai Canada will be on site to congratulate the first Canadian owner to take possession of his kona
“It is with great pleasure that we are waiting for you to come celebrate with us this event that marks history in the universe of electric vehicles!”
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.