Hyundai has finally discontinued the Kona Electric in India. Launched back in July 2019, the Kona was Hyundai’s first EV for our market. In international markets, there is already a new-gen Kona Electric on sale. However, for India, Hyundai will indirectly replace the electric crossover with the more affordable Creta EV early next year. While the Hyundai Kona Electric has been removed from the brand’s website, sources tell us that some dealers may have unsold stocks, which are being offered at attractive discounts, depending on availability.
- Kona Electric lost ground to more affordable e-SUVs like the Nexon EV
- It had a 39.2kWh battery with an ARAI range of 452km
- Hyundai Creta EV to indirectly replace Kona Electric in India
Hyundai Kona Electric: A brief overview
The Kona Electric was brought in as a CKD and was priced at Rs 25.30 lakh at launch. While Hyundai did reduce prices by almost Rs 2 lakh towards the end, the introduction of smaller and more affordable e-SUVs – from the Tata Nexon EV and MG ZS EV to Mahindra XUV400 – meant that the EV was positioned higher, and saw even less traction in the market.
In India, the Kona Electric featured a 39.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which powered a 136hp and 395Nm motor on the front axle. The battery had an ARAI-rated range of 452km on a single charge. In the 59 months that it has been on sale in India, Hyundai sold 2,329 units of the Kona Electric, which averages to about 39 cars a month.
While many overseas markets, like Indonesia, will see the launch of the new Kona Electric, there is no news of this next-gen model coming to our shores. Hyundai will, however, bring in a “high volume” electric SUV to India in the form of the Creta EV, which is scheduled to go on sale by January 2025.
As reported by us earlier, the upcoming Creta EV will have a few bits in common with the Kona Electric line-up. While the new mass-market e-SUV will borrow its body panels, platform and a few other elements from the Creta to keep costs in check, Hyundai will utilise the Kona EV’s motor, battery and some interior bits on the India-bound Creta EV.
While the Kona EV was positioned a tad higher in the segment, the heavily localised Creta EV will be introduced at a lower price point and will be aimed squarely at the competition. Apart from the Creta EV, the midsize e-SUV segment will see new entrants like the Curvv EV and also born-EV twins from Toyota and Maruti next year, all of which are expected to be priced at similar levels.
Also see:
MG ZS EV vs Tata Nexon EV vs Hyundai Kona Electric comparison video
Hyundai Kona Electric long term review
Hyundai CNG cars likely to get dual-cylinder technology
