All-new KONA Electric begins production in Czech Republic
Hyundai Motor has announced the start of production for the all-new KONA Electric at its Czech Republic-based plant.
During the first year, HMMC intends to manufacture more than 20,000 units of KONA Electric. With this development, Hyundai continues to work toward its commitment to sell only zero-emission vehicles in Europe by 2035.
The second-generation KONA is led by the all-electric variant (EV), which offers advanced safety and convenience features and a class-leading range. Hyundai developed the all-new KONA as an EV first, in line with the company’s March 2022 accelerated electrification strategy announcement that will bring eleven new Hyundai EVs to market by 2030.
“Hyundai regards Europe as a core market, which is reflected in our dedication to our customers across the continent. That is why we produce more than 70 per cent of our models – designed with European customers in mind – in Europe,” says Michael Cole, President & CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe. “In response to the growing demand for our electric vehicles in the region and with a focus on shortened delivery times, producing one of our most important electric cars in Europe underlines the importance of the European market for Hyundai.”
HMMC expects KONA Electric to represent 15 per cent of the plant’s total production by late 2023, thanks in part to the fact that the electric vehicle from HMMC will be delivered to an additional 20 countries to the current 22 exclusively European markets. By the end of this year, 21,000 cars of the new generation KONA Electric model are to be produced, with a further 50,000 manufactured next year.
KONA Electric will now be produced at HMMC in a right-hand drive version for the UK, Ireland, and Cyprus. New destinations for the electric model will also include Turkey and Israel, as well as the islands of Reunion and Guadalupe.
The Czech-based plant will continue to produce two versions of KONA Electric with different battery capacities, with both offering higher performance and range than their predecessors. The 65.4-kWh battery pack KONA Electric is equipped with a 160-kW electric motor and offers a class-leading range of 514 km (WLTP). The base version will have a 48.4-kWh battery pack and a 114.6-kW electric motor, providing a 377-km range (WLTP).
KONA Electric’s battery cells are manufactured at LG Energy Solution’s plant in Wroclaw, Poland. The batteries are then assembled in their final form at the same HMMC facility that produced manual transmissions until the end of 2021.
