Hyundai Kona EV Showcased At Auto Expo 2018

Hyundai may be more keen on launching the eKona (or the Kona EV, whichever you prefer calling it) in the country rather than the eye-catching Kona Iron Man edition considering the country shifting towards the cleanest and most underdeveloped form of propulsion by 2030.

The Kona EV has a greater chance of success than the other big news from Hyundai’s ‘Future Eco-Friendly, Mobility and Connected Technologies’ exhibits at the Auto Expo 2018, the Ioniq EV. Unlike the Ioniq sedan, the Kona offers more space for batteries and the electric motor powering the front wheels. The eKona, on the other hand, has to make do with larger dimensions (15mm longer and 5mm taller) than its petrol/diesel-powered versions.

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Hyundai also knows that people will be willing to pay more for an SUV than a sedan. Hence, don’t expect the Kona EV to come cheap even if Hyundai decides to manufacture batteries in India. For now, the Kona EV is being offered in two variants - one powered by a 39.2kWh battery, and the other powered by a 64kWh battery with a claimed range of 240km and 390km, respectively. The cost of the SUV in South Korea is between 43 million KRW (Rs 25.34 lakh) and 48 million KRW (28.29 lakh). In India, however, that will go up significantly, but customers are expected to be still interested in it simply because SUVs rule in markets like ours.