Remember the unicorn Hyundai Kona Electric that was shown off during the 2018 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show? That car was never available here in Malaysia, but there’s good news for EV enthusiasts – Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors has just officially launched the new facelifted Kona Electric here on our shores.
The new Hyundai Kona Electric will be offered in three variants (e-Lite, e-Plus, and e-Max) with prices starting from RM149,888 – for a fully electric vehicle with up to 305 km driving range!
EXTERIOR
The new Hyundai Kona Electric is based on the Kona facelift that was unveiled in Malaysia just earlier this year, which means it gets all of the latest design touches, including new bumpers and lighting fixtures.
In terms of exterior equipment, the new Kona Electric comes as standard with the following items for all three variants:
- LED headlights, daytime-runing lights
- LED tail lights cluster
- Body-coloured wheel arch claddings
- Blacked-out roof with roof rails
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Exterior colour options: Ignite Red, Dark Knight, Atlas White, Dive in Jeju, Cyber Gray Metallic, Pulse Red Pearl, Galastic Gray, Surfy Blue Metallic, Jungle Green
PERFORMANCE
The new 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric will be offered in three variants here in Malaysia, segregated by their battery size, charging speed, and performance.
- Hyundai Kona Electric e-Lite
- Battery pack: 39.2 kWh
- On-board charger: 7.2 kW (6.5 hours charging time)
- Max output: 100 kW (136 hp)
- Max torque: 395 Nm
- 0-100 km/h: 9.9 seconds
- Top speed: 155 km/h
- Driving range: 305 km (WLTP)
- Hyundai Kona Electric e-Plus
- Battery pack: 39.2 kWh
- On-board charger: 11 kW (4.5 hours charging time)
- Max output: 100 kW (136 hp)
- Max torque: 395 Nm
- 0-100 km/h: 9.9 seconds
- Top speed: 155 km/h
- Driving range: 305 km (WLTP)
- Hyundai Kona Electric e-Max
- Battery pack: 64 kWh
- On-board charger: 11 kW (7.5 hours charging time)
- Max output: 150 kW (204 hp)
- Max torque: 395 Nm
- 0-100 km/h: 7.9 seconds
- Top speed: 167 km/h
- Driving range: 484 km (WLTP)
All three variants support DC fast charging of up to 100 kW. Based on a benchmark of 50 kW DC fast charging, the Lite and Plus variants take approximately 60 minutes to charge up to 80%, while the Max takes 90 minutes to reach the same charge level.
The fully-electric Hyundai Kona also comes with a multi-link rear suspension set-up, instead of the torsion beam suspension on the regular ICE Kona here in Malaysia.
INTERIOR
Just like the exterior, most of the cabin equipment appointments on the new Hyundai Kona Electric here in Malaysia is also largely shared across all three variants. These include:
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster display
- 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity
- Six speakers
- Single zone automatic climate control
- Shift-by-wire button-styled gear selectors
- leather upholstery (white or grey)
- 60:40 split folding rear seats
- Smart key fob with remote start
- Shift paddles on steering wheel to adjust regenerative braking levels
The two higher end variants step it up one step further with the addition of powered front seats (10-way for Driver, eight-way for passenger, heating and ventilation on the Max), head-up display, and a wireless qi charging pad.
SAFETY
As standard, all variants of the new Hyundai Kona Electric is equipped with the following advanced driver assistance features:
- Lane Keeping Assist
- Lane Following Assist (lane centring)
- Forward Collision Avoidance Assist
- Leading Vehicle Departure Alert
- High Beam Assist
- Driver Attention Warning
- Rear Occupant Alert
The two higher-end variants meanwhile adds Smart Cruise Control with stop and go functionality, Blind-spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Rear-cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, and Safe Exit Alert.
PRICING
The pricing for the new Hyundai Kona Electric is as follows, on the road, without insurance, and inclusive of tax exemptions:
- Kona Electric Lite – RM149,888
- Kona Electric Plus – RM169,888
- Kona Electric Max – RM199,888
All prices also come with a two-year/50,000 km standard warranty, plus an eight-year/160,000 km battery warranty. A Hyundai spokesperson told AutoBuzz.my that an extended warranty programme will also be offered, however details for that will only come at a later date, closer to the delivery dates of the new Hyundai Kona Electric next year.
GALLERY
