Hyundai’s new Kona Electric looks set to disrupt the electric car market

PREMIERED digitally and unveiled to the world at the Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai Motor’s All-New Kona Electric looks set to disrupt the electric car market.

Combining the two hottest automotive trends – eco-mobility and SUV style – the AllNew Kona Electric not only makes eco-mobility more attractive and affordable for everyone, it also lays down a major challenge to other manufacturers. With a long-range battery that offers an outstanding range of 482 kilometres (based on WLTP regulations) on a single charge, the Kona Electric is rightly being hailed as a game-changer.

Of course, for the petrolheads at Top Gear, straight-line speed is everything. Thankfully, the Kona Electric has it in abundance, and they were mightily impressed that the long-range version offers “201bhp and an almost hot hatch-like 7.6 seconds 0-100km/h sprint”.

Describing the original Kona as “a fun thing to drive”, it’s safe to say Top Gear is looking forward to getting behind the wheel of its electrified sibling, especially when it says “the abundant (and instantly available) torque of an electric version could turn it into a proper little tearaway.”

While another car enthusiast also noted that the Kona Electric offers “spritely performance”, it looked at its significance in the wider context of the electric car market. In this regard, the internationally-respected newspaper couldn’t have been more enthusiastic, declaring that Hyundai had “stolen the lead over the Nissan Qashqai”.

It predicted that the Kona Electric would encourage many SUV drivers to “switch to a zero-emission electric model instead” due to its status as “the first family SUV that offers battery power at an affordable price”.