Hyundai has discontinued the Kona Electric in India, 5 years after launching it in July 2019. Although the Korean carmaker sells the new-gen Kona Electric in foreign markets, it will replace the electric crossover with the more affordable Creta EV by 2025.
Hyundai Kona Electric – Overview and What Next?
The Kona Electric was first brought in as CKD units with a Rs 25.30 Lakh onwards price tag at launch. Although Hyundai reduced the prices by approx 2 lakh prior to its discontinuation, the entry of smaller and more affordable EV SUVs in the market such as the MG ZS EV, Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV400 made Hyundai’s offering a high-end product which also contributed to the low sales of the Kona.
In India, the Kona Electric came with a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack powering a motor which sent power to the front axle, producing 136 hp and 395 Nm. The ARAI-rated range is 452 km on a single charge. The time the Kona was on sale in India, 59 months to be exact, it sold 2,329 units in total.
While global markets like Indonesia will get the new-gen Kona electric soon, there’s no such news of the launch of this new-gen model coming to the Indian market. However, Hyundai will bring in a mass-market EV SUV to India which will be the Creta EV, scheduled to go live by January.
The Upcoming Creta EV will share a few things with the Kona Electric such as body panels, platform and a few other elements from the ICE Creta to save costs. Hyundai will also use Kona’s battery, motor and some interior elements on the Creta EV.
The heavily localised Creta EV, unlike the Kona Electric, will be introduced at a lower price range and will rival the likes of the upcoming Tata Curvv EV.
