Hyundai has unveiled what it calls its “EV-derived” futuristic design for the next generation of its popular Hyundai Kona SUV, which will again be offered in all-electric (EV), hybrid and ICE powertrains.
The design, however, is heavily dependent on the electric future, borrowing heavily from the added interior space offered by the Ioniq 5 and the upcoming Ioniq 6.
“Kona has evolved in every respect to embrace an even wider range of diversity, to become a true lifestyle supporter,” said Hyundai’s design centre chief SangYup Lee.
The new Kona has grown in size compared to the model currently sold in Australia. Hyundai has made sure that the space gained in the upcoming model is to offer customers more “versatility”.
It is 4,355 mm in length which is 150 mm longer than the current generation. It has also become wider, adding 25 mm to the width of the car.
The headlights are sleeker and offer a more aerodynamic look to the small SUV. Staying on the outside, the new Kona also comes with 19-inch alloy wheels. At this stage, it’s unclear if the new Kona EV will offer a different set of tyres to the ICE variants.
On the inside, there is a large 12.3-inch screen with a floating layout. Ambient lighting is also on offer.
With the current generation of the Hyundai Kona EV selling over 1,000 units so far this year, the new bigger Kona EV will do even better.
More details on the new Kona range along with its EV variant are expected to be released in the coming months in a lead up to its local launch, expected late 2023 but possibly also early 2024.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.