The next member of the updated 2021 Hyundai Kona family has been revealed.
The Kona Electric will arrive in Australia in the first half of next year.
Hyundai has previously confirmed the regular Kona and the new Kona N Line variant will arrive early in 2021, while a Kona N is expected to join them by the end of next year.
Cosmetic changes mirror those of the regular Kona, although like before the Kona Electric has a grille-less nose.
That frontal treatment has also gotten smoother for 2021, removing the “phantom grille” treatment of the outgoing model and making the charging port opening more prominent.
There are new daytime running lights and headlights, the latter of which are connected to the body-colour wheel arch cladding, while there’s also a revised front bumper with satin-accented bars in the air intake.
The rear’s been treated to a minor refresh with revised tail lights. Overall length has also increased by 40mm.
The Kona Electric continues to mate a 64kWh lithium-ion battery with an electric motor, with 150kW of power and 395Nm of torque.
Electric range is a claimed 484km on the stricter WLTP cycle, with the Kona Electric taking 64 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 per cent using a 50kW DC fast charger, or 47 minutes at a 100kW DC charger.
In other markets, the Kona Electric will also be available with a 39.2kWh battery but Hyundai Australia is giving it a miss.
The Kona Electric’s list of safety equipment has grown to include blind-spot assist and rear cross-traffic assist, which will take control if it detects you’re at risk of veering into another car or about to back into one.
Other additional safety equipment includes safe exit warning, rear seat occupant alert, leading vehicle departure alert and lane-following assist.
That’s in addition to existing standard equipment such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection.
Inside, a new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster joins the existing 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
Other changes in the cabin include new ambient footwell lighting, heated rear seats and an additional USB port in the second row.
The Kona Electric will now have to contend with a cut-price Chinese rival in the MG ZS EV, which has been introduced with a price of $43,990 drive-away.
In contrast, the current Kona Electric starts at $60,740 before on-road costs.
