The latest Kona will be gas-powered, or EV powered. No hybrid, sorry.
The 2024 Hyundai Kona certainly is making its rounds on the auto show circuit, with its North American debut happening at this year’s New York International Auto Show. It’s bigger, better, and designed with electrification in mind, said Hyundai. The brand crafted the EV model first, working backward to accommodate the hybrid and regular ICE variants the brand said the Kona would now have.
However, it looks like one of those variants won’t make the jump to North America — the hybrid. Green Car Reports reached out to Hyundai, which confirmed that the hybrid option wouldn’t come here.
In other markets, the forthcoming hybrid Kona appears to use a similar design as the mechanically related Kia Niro. Meaning, a naturally-aspirated engine paired with an electric motor feeds a six-speed dual-clutch transmission to provide power. Power would likely be 139 horsepower; making the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid appear to be downright speedy.
Instead, Hyundai will offer a lower-range, cheaper Kona EV. This variant will have less power (133 horsepower compared to 201 horsepower), and a smaller battery (48.6 kWH compared to 64.8 kWh) good for a preliminary range estimate of 197 miles.
Will it pay off? We don’t know yet. Hyundai certainly isn’t alone in offering only ICE options (aside from the EV version) for its subcompact crossovers. It’s also not the only brand to omit a hybrid option from a popular model; the Honda HR-V, sold as ZR-V in some markets, has an optional hybrid model on tap. Yet, the newly released Corolla Cross hybrid and Dodge Hornet PHEV could signal the start of a new trend of buyers in the segment searching for hybrid options. Hyundai could be missing out on small crossover buyers who aren’t quite ready to make the switch to a full EV.
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