Hyundai Kona: Difference between revisions

Subcompact crossover SUV

Motor vehicle

The Hyundai Kona (Korean: 현대 코나) is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai.^[1] The first-generation Kona debuted in June 2017 and the production version was revealed later that year. It is positioned between the Venue or Bayon and the Tucson in Hyundai crossover SUV line-up. The battery electric version called the Kona Electric (or Kona EV) was first launched in South Korea during the first half of 2018 and rolled out gradually worldwide afterwards.^[2]

The Kona is named after the western district of the island of Hawaiʻi.^[3] The company stated the name “reflects the lifestyle of modern customers”, in line with its “progressive design” that it adopts.^[4] The Kona naming also continues Hyundai’s tradition of naming crossover SUV models after famous travel destinations, including the Creta, Santa Fe, Tucson and Veracruz.^[5]

The vehicle is marketed in Portugal as the Hyundai Kauai, as Kona is too similar to cona, a slang word for the female genitalia in European Portuguese.^[6][7] It’s also sold in Iceland where the word kona means woman in Icelandic. Like Kona, Kauai is a place in Hawaii. It is also Hawaiian for lady.

In China, the vehicle was sold as the Hyundai Encino.^[8][9]

First generation (OS; 2017)[edit]

Motor vehicle

First generation
Model code	OS[10]
Also called	Hyundai Kauai (Portugal)[7] Hyundai Encino (China)[8]
Production	2017–2023 2018–2020 (China)[11]
Model years	2018–2023
Assembly
Designer	Kim Sung-No[16][17]
Related
Engine
Electric motor	Permanent magnet synchronous motor (hybrid and electric)
Transmission
Battery
Wheelbase	2,600 mm (102.4 in)
Length	4,165–4,215 mm (164.0–165.9 in)
Width	1,800 mm (70.9 in)
Height	1,550–1,575 mm (61.0–62.0 in)
Curb weight	1,233–1,569 kg (2,718–3,459 lb) 1,535–1,743 kg (3,384–3,843 lb) (electric)

The first-generation Kona was revealed in June 2017 in Seoul, South Korea.^[20] Positioned below the Tucson, it was the smallest crossover SUV in the Hyundai global line-up until that position was taken by the Venue in 2019.^[21] The first-generation Kona was built on a newly developed B-segment SUV platform derived from the Hyundai i30 platform^[19] which was designed to accommodate a range of powertrains, including fuel cell and electric variants.^[22] While it was developed as an urban-oriented crossover SUV, the first-generation Kona was available in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants; the rear suspension is a torsion beam for the former and a dual-arm multi-link configuration for the latter.^[22]

For the North American market, the Kona was launched at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2017 and was available at Hyundai dealers in the first quarter of 2018 for the 2018 model year.^[23] Engine options offered are 2.0-liter 4-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine capable of 147 hp (149 PS; 110 kW) and 132 lb⋅ft (179 N⋅m; 18.2 kg⋅m), paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Higher trims are powered with a 1.6-liter Gamma turbo engine paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission producing 175 hp (177 PS; 130 kW) and 195 lb⋅ft (264 N⋅m; 27.0 kg⋅m).^[24]

The Kona is either not sold or only sold in low volumes in markets where the larger but simpler Creta is offered, such as Latin America, India, and Russia. Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are the few countries that briefly sold the petrol-powered Kona before it was indirectly replaced by the Indonesian-built Creta in 2022.^[25][26] The Chinese market had both the Kona and Creta, named there the Encino and ix25 respectively.

Kona Electric[edit]

The Kona Electric is a battery electric version of the Kona. It is the second electric car from Hyundai after the Ioniq. Sales started in Korea and Europe in 2018, with a market debut in the United States in 2019.^[27][28][2]

Kona Electric was available in two battery capacities: 39.2 kWh and 64 kWh.^[29] The ‘ultimate’ trim features adaptive cruise control and along with lane centering^[30][31] means the vehicle meets the SAE standard for Level 2 driverless.^[32] The Kona EV has a range of 415 km (258 mi) with the 64 kWh battery.^[33][34] Real-world range tests conducted by What Car in early 2019 found that the Kona EV had the highest real-world range among electric cars for sale in the United Kingdom.^[35]

In March 2019, Hyundai launched the Kona Electric in Thailand. In July 2019, Hyundai launched an Electric Lite version as Kona Electric in India. In 2020, Hyundai started producing the Kona Electric in its European factory in the Czech Republic, where there are plans for an annual production of 30,000 vehicles.^[13] Kona Electric reached 100,000 global sales in June 2020.^[36]

Hyundai Encino EV was launched on the Chinese car market in November 2019. The electric motor of the Encino EV has an output of 150 kW; 204 PS (201 hp) and 310 N⋅m (31.6 kg⋅m; 229 lb⋅ft)….