Hyundai Kona Electric gets strong initial buyer response in India

The recently launched Hyundai Kona electric seems to have struck the right chord with environment-friendly car buyers in India. Following the all-electric car's launch on July 9 at a price of Rs 25.3 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom, India), According to Hyundai Motor India, the Kona Electric has received 120 confirmed customer bookings and also 10,000 test drive customer enquiries.

Commenting on the bookings,  Vikas Jain, National Sales Head, Hyundai Motor India, said, “We have received an electrifying response to India’s first long range green SUV – Kona Electric – with 120 confirmed bookings in just 10 days of its launch expressing the Indian customers’ acceptance to high-end future technologies offered by Hyundai. The digital enquires and footfall at our dealerships have increased as the customers are excited to experience electric cars. The change of perception and adaptability is clearly visible as there is huge interest and request for test drives.” 

“The Kona Electric is a proven and award winning global electric SUV creating new benchmarks in clean mobility since its global launch in April 2018. Our overall goal is to offer an SUV with long range and high performance with fun to drive quotient to our Indian customers,” he added.

According to Hyundai, the Kona Electric is currently sold in Canada, USA, Europe, Russia, Korea and Australia and has been bought by over 15,000 customers worldwide.

Powering the Kona Electric is a permanent magnet synchronous motor that produces the equivalent of 136hp and 395Nm of torque, helping it to accelerate from 0-100kph in 9.7 seconds.

ARAI-certified range of 452km
Powering the Kona Electric is a permanent magnet synchronous motor that produces the equivalent of 136hp and 395Nm of torque, helping it to do a claimed 0-100kph time of 9.7sec. It comes with a 39.2kWh lithium-ion battery that is said to provide an ARAI-rated range of 452km. A point to note: on the WLTP (the European Union's Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure), this battery pack is said to go up to 289km on a single charge.

The lithium-ion battery pack can be charged to 100 percent capacity in as little as 57 minutes using a 50kW DC fast charger, or 6 hours and 10 minutes from a standard AC source. The model also comes with adjustable regenerative braking via the paddleshifters and three drive modes – Eco, Comfort and Sport. The gearbox as standard is a one-speed automatic unit. 

Hyundai will provide a home charger with the EV and also install charging stations at its dealerships for customers. Along with this, the Korean brand will also install EV charging points at select Indian Oil petrol pumps in four major Indian cities. The Kona Electric will come with a 3-year/unlimited warranty as standard along with an 8-year/160,000 kilometre warranty for the battery.

Although there are no direct rivals to the Kona Electric right now, it will face stiff competition from the MG eZS all-electric SUV that is scheduled to be launched in India December 2019. ​

Also read: Hyundai plots mass-market EV for India, plans to invest in battery manufacturing

Hyundai plans sweeping changes to R&D operations to accelerate vehicle development

Driving impression of the MG eZS