Hyundai Australia HQ has been a hive of activity this week, as the South Korean carmaker gets ready to begin selling its next all-electric offering, the Kona EV.
Staff have been attending training days, readying themselves to answer questions from a curious public, and dealers are inviting potential customers to start submitting order enquiries.
The Kona EV crossover with 64kWh battery and 400km real world range is likely to be welcomed warmly onto the Australian auto market, which is short of practical, well-priced electric cars despite electric mobility already taking off overseas.
In late 2018 the South Korean carmaker released its first all-electric vehicle in Australia, the Ioniq which it is selling in three powertrains – battery electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid.
The Ioniq is the first car in Australia with an all-electric variant that is priced under the $A50,000 mark, and by all accounts this is the model that is selling out across the nation.
The Hyundai Kona EV is expected to be priced somewhere between $A50,000 and $A60,000 (Hyundai staff told The Driven at last year’s AEVA conference in Brisbane it would be around $A53,000-55,000 but people familiar with the matter have since said it may be more like $A55,000-60,000).
In anticipation of the release of the Kona EV which is expected early March 2019, Hyundai’s head office have also sent out an email to certain customers, outlining the two models that will be available to the Australian public:
The Kona EV will have 2 retail models (Elite and Highlander) and a special fleet model that will sit under the elite.
Both Elite and Highlander models will be fitted with an 8″ touch screen featuring Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, GPS (with live traffic updates and charging station information), Digital, FM and AM radio, Bluetooth and a host of EV specific displays giving you information on battery status, power usage, eco driving score and more
5 Colours will be available from launch. These include Chalk White, Lake Silver, Ceramic Blue, Pulse Red and Galactic Grey. All of these colours are optionally available with a two tone colour scheme which will see the roof and windscreen surround painted in a contrasting colour. a Phantom Black roof will be available with all colours whilst a Chalk White roof will also be available with either the Ceramic Blue or Galactic Grey.
The interior will be available in either Black or Stone Grey (three tone).
All accessories from the standard Kona (excluding tow bar) can be fitted to the Kona EV.
Both the Elite version and the Highlander will come with the following:
- 6 airbags
- 17″ alloy wheels
- Automatic dusk sensing headlights
- LED daytime running lights
- Fog lights, front and rear
- Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
- Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)
- Rear Park Assist Sensors and Rear View Camera
- Speed Limiter (manual)
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
- Shift By Wire (SBW)
- SmartSense Safety, including:
- Blind Sport Collision Warning (BCW)
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA)
- Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
- Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning (RCCW)
- Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop & Go
- Electronic Park Brake (EPB)
- Leather Interior
- Climate Control with auto defog
- Rain Sensing Wipers
- Smart Key with push button start
- 7″ TFT LCD Supervision Cluster (aka. digital dash)
- USB Charging port
- Solar Control Glass with rear privacy
- Electric folding and heated mirrors
- Driver and front passenger seat back pockets
- Luggage net
- Roof rails
- Auto Link Premium (SIM)
In addition to base trim, the Highlander will also have:
- Front Parking Sensors
- High Beam Assist (HBA)
- Static Bending Lights
- LED Headlights
- LED Taillights
- Sunroof (optional – not available with two tone roof)
- Head-Up Display (HUD)
- Power driver and passenger seats
- Heated and Ventilated front seats
- Electro-chromatic auto dimming rear view mirror
- Heated steering wheel
- Wireless smartphone charger
- Premium door scuff plate
With a plethora of awards under its belt, and in a body size that is increasingly popular in the Australian landscape, it is only now a matter of time before we see how well the Hyundai Kona EV does against its cheaper stablemate the Ioniq BEV.
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.