Hyundai Motors on Tuesday launched the Kona Electric SUV in India at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 25.30 lakh. Marketed as ‘India’s first real electric SUV’, the vehicle is being sold in India as a CBU (completely built unit) import, which is why the pricing is so much higher than in the rest of the world. It will be sold through 15 select dealerships in 11 cities around the country with necessary EV infrastructure and support.
The Kona comes with a 39.2 kWh battery pack that has an ARAI-certified range of 452 Km on a single charge. It offers a peak power of 134 bhp, max torque of 395 Nm and does 0-100 kmph in 9.7 seconds. According to Hyundai, it can be fully charged in 6 hours using the bundled 7kWh charger. There’s also a DC fast charger, which, the company claimed, can charge the SUV up to 80 percent in just 57 minutes. The company also said that it will install fast chargers in all dealerships selling the vehicle.
Creature comforts in the Kona include a 17.7 cm floating touchscreen infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and ventilated seats, sunroof and more. Safety features include six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, blind spot detection, hill-start assist, reverse camera and TPMS.
The Kona is just the latest SUV from the Hyundai stable in India, where the South Korean automaker already sells the Venue, Creta and the Tucson. The Venue, especially, is the sub-compact model that has reportedly been giving the Vitara Brezza and the Ford Ecosport a run for their money in the sub-10 lakh segment with loads of features at an affordable price-tag.
