LOS ANGELES — Hyundai Motor America just unveiled its all-new 2018 Kona compact utility vehicle during AutoMobility LA, the press and trade days portion of the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Kona will be one of eight new CUVs the automaker is bringing to the market by the year 2020. It will feature an internal combustion engine, however a plug-in electric model is possible in the future. The Kona is equipped with a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine standard. An optional 1.6-liter, turbo 4-cylinder EcoShift DCT engine is also available.
“We seen an opportunity for Kona in the small CUV segment,” said Trevor Lai, product planning manager at Hyundai. “It’s something you haven’t seen before. It comes in a lot of fun colors. It looks fluid even when standing still. Fuel economy is still going to be good. We’ve developed it off of the Elantra platform.”
New features on the Kona include an 8-inch pop-up heads display. It will include the speedometer, navigation tools and other important information so that the driver can keep their eyes on the road without having to look up and down. The new CUV also comes with cool features such as wireless device charging, an Infinity audio system and BlueLink capability with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
“The Kona is only the beginning of our product revolution for Hyundai,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of product, corporate and digital planning at Hyundai. “These vehicles are aimed squarely at the sales leaders in each segment and will emphasize Hyundai’s continued focus on sustainability and efficiency without compromising performance. Our customers are going to have a lot of great CUV choices in our dealerships.”
Additional features of the new CUV include LED headlamps and daytime running lamps, rain-sensing wipers and LED taillights. The new Kona will be a little shorter than the Tucson and hold slightly less cargo volume than its larger SUV. It will be manufactured in Korea with 51.8 percent high strength steel.
The Kona is targeted for singles and young couples in their early 30’s. Look for the new Hyundai Kona to arrive in dealer showrooms in March 2018.
Stay with AmericaJR.com for complete coverage of AutoMobility LA at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show. Our team will be filing reports all week long from the show floor…
