The upcoming Hyundai Kona will be the fourth SUV by the firm in Europe, positioned below the Santa Fe and Tucson.
There’s no denying the fact that car buyers across the world are madly in love with SUVs. And you can rest assured that this trend is not going to die down anytime soon. Anyway, speaking of upcoming SUVs, Hyundai is developing an all-new SUV, dubbed the Kona. The Korean automaker has just released a teaser of the new compact-SUV. The Kona will make its global debut around June 2017. Commercial sales are expected to commence by year end in Europe.
First things first, the name Kona is derived from the Kona district on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hyundai says that the island’s energetic image and unique lifestyle reflect the new Hyundai SUV’s dynamic character. Besides this, the Kona will be the smallest SUV in Hyundai model line-up in European markets, sitting below the Grand Santa Fe (seven-seater), Santa Fe and Tucson. In a way, this also suggests that the Kona may not come to our market – for we already have the Creta in that segment.
There’s no further information on the Kona as of now, but it’s understood that it’ll be underpinned by the same platform as the current i20. As a result, it’s expected to share the powertrains with the hatchback, meaning there could be three engine options on offer in Europe – 1.0-litre turbo petrol, 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.4-litre turbo diesel. A 1.6-litre diesel is also a likely possibility.
Hyundai says that the Kona is one of the 30 new models/derivatives from the brand that will go on sale in the European region by 2021. As per Hyundai, the company has sold 1.4 million SUVs since the arrival of the first-gen Santa Fe in 2001, and its SUV game is only going to get strong with the launch of the Kona.
Also read: 2016 Hyundai Tucson Review
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