New Hyundai Kona is a Kona ELECTRIC first and ICE Kona second

Hyundai designed the new Kona as an electric car first and then made it work as an ICE hybrid too, with more space and improved specs.

You might have expected Hyundai to bin the electric Kona as it moves forward aggressively with its electric Ioniq range, but just before Christmas they revealed the new Hyundai Kona will come with both ICE Hybrid and EV powertrains. And it’s the Kona EV which is now the dominant part of the equation.

The new Kona was designed as an EV first – with the ICE bits made to fit after – and grows by 175mm, with an extra 60mm in the wheelbase for more interior space, with a bold new look with a flush front end, chiselled flanks and big wheel arches.

Inside goes more upmarket with Hyundai’s twin 12.3″ displays behind a single panel, more padded plastics for soft-touch and backlighting for a premium glow.

Sitting on the same Platform as the new Kia Niro, the EV comes with either a Standard range battery model with a 48.4kWh battery and 154bhp or a Long Range model with 215bhp and 65.4kWh battery promising range of over 300 miles, with 400v tech delivering a 10-80 per cent charge in 40 minutes. 

The new Kona EV also comes with V2L functionality, battery preconditioning, one-pedal driving.

Jaehoon Chang, Hyundai CEO, said:

KONA Electric will play a major role alongside our IONIQ models in reinforcing Hyundai’s EV leadership. The new model builds on the great reputation of the first-generation KONA Electric and is designed and engineered to lead the competition with its many outstanding features.

Expect the ICE versions of the new Kona to go on sale in the coming months, followed by the new electric Kona later in 2023. No prices for the new Hyundai Kona EV and ICFE yet.