Hyundai Kona grows, gets bigger battery to defend leading spot in key EV segment

NOSOVICE, Czech Republic -- Hyundai has equipped the second-generation Kona with bigger batteries and made it more spacious in a bid to maintain its place as one of Europe' top-selling electric small SUVs.

The Korean automaker also has invested €103.7 million euros ($111 million) at its factory here to switch over to making the new generation of the strong-selling electric small SUV, which is being launched in Europe this month. Hyundai expects to assemble 21,000 electric Konas in Nosovice by year-end, with a target of 50,000 in 2024.

The EV variant accounted for 40 percent of overall European sales of the current Kona, which is also offered as a hybrid. Hyundai expects the battery-powered version of the second-generation Kona to account for 60 percent of the model family's sales in the region, Hyundai Europe CEO Michael Cole said.
 

In the first half, the Kona was Europe's best-selling small electric SUV despite a 12 percent decline to 16,827, according to figures from market researcher Dataforce.

The Kona was well ahead of the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka-e (13,376) and the Peugeot e-2008 (12,661) during the period, but trailed the overall leader in the segment, the full-electric version of the Volvo XC40, which had 20,770 sales in the first half, according to figures from market researcher Dataforce.

A big reason Hyundai has upgraded the Kona EV is because competition has intensified since the first-generation arrived in 2018. Along with the Mokka-e and e-208, the segment includes the full-electric Jeep Avenger, which will be followed later this year by the Fiat New 600e. All four brands are part of Stellantis. Also joining the segment are several China-built cars including the MG ZS, MG4, BYD Atto 3 as well the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30.

Range is the X factor

Another factor that could effect the Kona is that Tesla has cuts the prices of the Model 3 midsize sedan and Model Y midsize crossover to make them eligible for government incentives in several EU countries.

The lower prices have helped Tesla increase sales of the Model 3 by 30 percent through August and helped the Model Y's volume rise to a Europe-best 152,990, a gain of 198 percent, based on preliminary figures from Dataforce.

The Model 3 starts at €42,990 in Germany and the long-range version's base price is €51,990. The Model Y starts at €44,890 and rises to €60,990 for the performance variant.

Meanwhile, the Kona will start at €41,990 before government incentives, while the long-range version's base price is €47,190.

Paolo Gnerro, product manager for SUVs at Hyundai Europe, isn't overly concerned about prices.

"The customer for a BEV [battery-electric vehicle] does not look at the traditional market segments, he looks for a certain range and compares vehicles accordingly," Gnerro said.

The top-of-the-line Kona EV with a 65.4-kilowatt battery that was available for test drives in Nosovice last week starts at €53,590 euros in Germany, which has been the No. 1 sales market for the current Kona EV.

The Kona EV comes with two different battery sizes -- 48.4 kW and 65.4 kWh -- up from the previous model's 39-kWh and 64-kWh options. Driving ranges under WLTP testing are 377 km (235 miles) and 514 kms (321 miles), respectively, for the new Kona EV.

Lithium-ion cells for the batteries come from Korean supplier LG Energy Solutions, which has a plant in Wroclaw, Poland, about 250 km (156 miles) from Nosovice. The battery packs are assembled at the Hyundai plant.

Hyundai increased the new Kona EV's size in response to customer demand for more interior room, making it one of the most spacious small SUVs available in Europe.

At 4355 mm long – which is 175 mm (about 7 inches) longer that in its predecessor – the new Kona EV tops rivals such as the Dacia Duster (4341 mm), Peugeot 2008 (4300 mm) as well as the segment-leading Volkswagen T-Roc (4236 mm). It is also longer than the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka-e (4151 mm long) and of the Fiat New 600e (4171 mm).