Hyundai Motor has kicked off production of the all-new 2024 Kona Electric at its plant in Nošovice, Czechia.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC) has great ambitions for the new model, planning to build 21,000 units of the Kona Electric by the end of this year and 50,000 during the entire 2024 calendar year.
The new Kona Electric made in Europe will be sold primarily in European markets, but also in countries like Turkey and Israel, as well as the islands of Réunion and Guadalupe. The Czech plant will also build a right-hand-drive version of the Kona Electric for the UK, Ireland, and Cyprus.
In total, the Czech-made Hyundai Kona Electric will be delivered to 42 countries, compared to the 22 exclusively European markets of the outgoing model made in Nošovice.
As a result, HMMC expects the new Kona Electric to make up 15 percent of the plant's total production by late 2023. That's no small thing seeing as the factory also builds the Tucson SUV and the entire i30 compact lineup, including hatchback, wagon, and fastback – in regular, N-Line, and N performance variants.
As with the previous-gen Kona Electric, Hyundai's Czech plant will continue to produce two single-motor FWD versions of the electric subcompact crossover with different battery capacities.
The base Kona Electric features a 48.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack that powers a 114.6-kilowatt (154-horsepower) electric motor and offers 234 miles (377 kilometers) of WLTP range.
There's also a longer-range, more powerful variant featuring a 65.4-kWh battery and a 160-kilowatt (215-horsepower) electric motor. This model offers a class-leading range of 319 miles (514 km) WLTP.
The Kona Electric's battery cells are manufactured at LG Energy Solution's plant in Wroclaw, Poland, with final battery assembly taking place at the same HMMC facility that produced manual transmissions until the end of 2021.
"Hyundai regards Europe as a core market, which is reflected in our dedication to our customers across the continent. That is why we produce more than 70 percent of our models – designed with European customers in mind – in Europe," said Michael Cole, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe.
"In response to the growing demand for our electric vehicles in the region and with a focus on shortened delivery times, producing one of our most important electric cars in Europe underlines the importance of the European market for Hyundai."
The Korean company announced an accelerated electrification strategy in March 2022 that will bring eleven new Hyundai EVs to the European market by 2030, and the second-generation Kona Electric is one of them. The automaker also committed to selling only zero-emission vehicles in Europe by 2035.
It's worth noting that the North American-spec model sold in the United States and Canada will be made at Hyundai's plant in Ulsan, South Korea.
