First-gen Hyundai Kona Electric finally axed in India

Launched at ₹2.53 million in July 2019, the Hyundai Kona Electric was quite an expensive model for India. That amount converted to roughly €33,000 back then and is still steep for the emerging market. We’ve seen dealers trying to clear stocks with offers of up to ₹400,000 or roughly €4,500 this year.

The Hyundai Kona Electric wasn’t popular in India, but that wasn’t only because of its price. The Euro-style exterior gave it a soft character, while Indian customers typically like a boxier and masculine design on SUVs. The bigger and more tangible issue was the lack of passenger space in the rear seats, which is also a high priority in this Asian market. Additionally, the EV’s luggage space was quite limited.

A low driving range posed another issue for prospective customers, as while the official figure was 452 km, the real-world number hovered around 250 km. In a country with a limited charging network, that limitation translates to not only the inconvenience of charging more frequently but also the inability to travel long distances with peace of mind.

A recall related to a defect in the Hyundai Kona Electric’s 39.2 kWh battery pack, which was the only one available in India, probably took a toll on the EV’s image. That was just two months after the big recall of 25,564 units in South Korea.

India-focused low-cost EV in the pipeline

The Indian market wasn’t interested in the facelifted first-gen Hyundai Kona Electric and is unlikely to welcome the latest, second-gen model either. Hyundai mostly relies on low-cost models specially designed and engineered for emerging markets in the country. In line with that strategy, the company is working on a new electric SUV based on one of its most popular local models – the Hyundai Creta.

The Hyundai Creta EV will go on sale in India in January 2025, Tarun Garg, the CEO of the company’s local subsidiary said recently. It should cost under ₹2 million (approx. €22,000), and that is where most of the action happens in the country’s passenger four-wheeler space. While the Hyundai Kona Electric was a model assembled from imported completely knocked-down kits (CKDs), the upcoming EV will be a locally manufactured product.

A regulatory document for the upcoming Hyundai IPO in India has revealed that the South Korean automaker plans to launch four electric models in the country starting with the Hyundai Creta EV. At least one of those models should carry a base price of around ₹1.1 million (approx. €12,000).

hyundai.com, autocarindia.com (Hyundai Kona Electric real-world range), autocarindia.com (Hyundai Creta EV launch timeline), sebi.gov.in