Several new electric vehicles have been unveiled in recent weeks and people like to call them ‘Tesla killers’ or say that they are directly aimed at competing with Tesla, which is not entirely false in some cases.
Hyundai certainly thinks so since it apparently went as far as challenging Tesla CEO Elon Musk in billboards seen in Europe.
It’s not the first time that Tesla has been teased in billboards from competitors.
Last summer, Audi had a series of billboards teasing Tesla and Elon Musk over their recently unveiled electric concept.
It was laughed off by Tesla fans and EV enthusiasts since it was about a vehicle concept that we knew little about and it is not even set for production until a few more years.
But Hyundai unveiled its new Kona Electric last week and the vehicle is set to enter production in the coming months.
Now billboards for the vehicle with the mention ‘Your turn, Elon’ have been showing up in Europe:
The Kona Electric is compact SUV with a range of up to 292 miles, according to Hyundai.
Electrek’s Take
This is actually exciting for me. There’s starting to be some real competition with electric vehicles and ultimately, it should be good for the industry.
Though I still think that newcomers should be careful about marketing their EVs against other EVs. The biggest market to go after is current gas-powered cars. They should aim at them.
But in the case of the Kona Electric, it is virtually alone as an electric vehicle in its segment so it shouldn’t have much of an issue. Its biggest problem is likely going to be availability since Hyundai reportedly plans to only make about 20,000 units per year.
The vehicle coming closest to it is the upcoming Tesla Model Y, which might be the reason for the billboard since Tesla is expected to unveil the vehicle relatively soon.
But the Model Y is expected to be a little bigger and more aimed at the luxury market – though the Kona Electric’s long-range version should be around the same price.
Pricing and availability haven’t been released yet, but the vehicle is expected to first launch in Korea and Europe by the end of the year.
Either way, that’s probably exactly the kind of stuff Elon Musk likes to see based on his original mission for Tesla: accelerate the advent of electric transport.
If automakers have Tesla in mind when launching a new EV, Musk’s mission is working.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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