Driving a Kona in Kona? It’s a possibility.
On Tuesday, Hyundai Motor Co. unveiled the Kona, the company’s first global compact sport utility vehicle it hopes will revive flagging sales. It has a starting price of $16,800.
The Kona is designed to appeal to modern customers with active lifestyles, the company said. Hyundai will begin selling the model, named after the Big Island region “famous to thrill-seeking travelers,” this month in South Korea, followed by North America and Europe.
“With the Kona, we have created a stylish and highly functional compact SUV, perfectly suited to the needs of customers who pursue challenging, action-filled lifestyles,” said Euisun Chung, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Co. “We aim to set new standards for the compact SUV segment, with appealing design, cutting-edge connectivity and class leading safety features.”
It’s expected to compete with the Honda HR-V, Toyota C-HR and Nissan Juke. It will come in 2-liter and 1.6-liter engine options. It will also be available in four-wheel and two-wheel drivetrains.
Hyundai Motor is playing catchup after being caught out by the shift in consumer preference away from sedans to larger and more expensive SUVs, it said in a press release. It is only the third global SUV model in the South Korean automaker’s lineup. The mismatch between demand and supply led to the carmaker last month registering its steepest decline in U.S. retail sales since June 2009, while geopolitical tensions exacerbated the imbalance in China, its biggest market.