Hyundai Kona EV showcased at Frankfurt

Hyundai showcased its new Kona electric SUV at the Frankfurt motor show and announced an international launch at the 2018 Geneva motor show in March.

Hyundai is aiming for a range of around 384km for the Kona EV that was displayed at its stall at Frankfurt. To put it into perspective, the manufacturer’s all-electric Ioniq that is on sale internationally has a 28kWh battery developing 120hp and a claimed range of 280km.

The Kona EV is a part of the manufacturer’s plan to launch 30 new models by 2020.

The Korean manufacturer is considering bringing the electric SUV to India with a launch date later in 2018. Hyundai had abandoned plans to bring the mild-hybrid and full-hybrid vehicles to India due to the withdrawal of benefits to hybrids under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

This move to sharpen its focus on electric vehicles is fuelled by the government's decision to bypass hybrids and switch to full-electrics by 2030. In fact, under GST, hybrid vehicles have been taxed at 43 percent, while EVs have been taxed at a lower rate of 12 percent.

It is unlikely that the standard Kona SUV, which sits below the Santa Fe and Tucson in Hyundai’s international SUV line-up, with petrol and diesel engines will come to India.