Hyundai Kona Electric sales to END in Korean market claims new report

According to a report, Hyundai is planning to end sales of its electric Kona in South Korea after a number of recalls were needed.

Hyundai has made their Kona in to a very able, and relatively affordable, electric car, with sensible prices, long range and good spec. And it’s selling well, so well in fact that until this year you’d actually struggle to buy one.

But apart from supply issues, Hyundai has had to undertake a number of recalls on the Kona Electric relating to fires and faulty brakes and so, according to a report from Reuters, it’s planning to stop sales of the Kona EV in its home market.

It seems a bit of an extreme reaction to a series of recalls, and it seems the Kona Electric will still be on sale in Europe despite the ending of sales in South Korea. But there’s doubtless more to it than that.

It does seem likely that with the arrival of new electric cars from Hyundai under their ‘Ioniq’ sub-brand – the first, the Ioniq 5 early in the New Year – the Kona Electric will be in the wrong nest, lumped in with Hyundai’s ICE-based cars rather than in the shiny new nest at Ioniq for EVs.

Hyundai are planning more models based on the new flexible E-GNP Platform for EVs beyond the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 (a production version of the Prophecy Concept) with plenty of numerical space below the 5 to deliver a Kona Electric replacement as the Ioniq 3 or Ioniq 4.

And, if they’re planning to drop the Kona EV in South Korea, that’s probably happening sooner rather than later.