Hyundai starts production of Kona Electric CUV, ships out first ~1,000 units

Hyundai is coming out with one of only a few new all-electric vehicles in the entire auto industry this year: the Kona Electric.

Now the Korean automaker has produced its first important batch of Kona Electric CUVs and started exporting the vehicle.

As we previously reported, the new Kona Electric compact SUV will be offered in a ‘Short-range’ battery pack option, which consists of a 39.2 kWh battery pack enabling a range of 300 km (186 miles) on a single charge.

That version of the vehicle will also be equipped with a 99 kW permanent magnet synchronous electric motor putting down 395 Nm of torque and a top speed of 167 km/h (103 mph).

Another higher-performance version with a ‘Long-range’ battery pack option will also be available. Under this configuration, the Kona Electric will be equipped with a 64 kWh battery pack, which will enable “nearly 470 km (292 miles) of range.”

The vehicle is somewhat highly anticipated because it’s a rare option in the lower price range for all-electric vehicles.

Prices haven’t been released in all markets, but the vehicle is expected to start in the low $30,000s  with the Long Range version at around $40,000.

For example, the price of the Long Range version has been released in Norway where it starts at 325.900 kr, which is the equivalent of around $40,000 USD.

We should soon get more details as Hyundai started production and exportation of the Kona Electric.

This week, the Korean automaker released its sales and export numbers for last month:

As you can see, Hyundai delivered just over 1,000 Kona EVs in its home market and exported 1,120 more outside of Korea.

That’s the first significant production batch of the all-electric version of the Kona. The first vehicles being exported are likely going to Europe since the launch in the US is expected later this year.

We also got a quick look at Hyundai’s Ioniq EV numbers, which remain fairly low and stable – though a little higher last month.

Hyundai is selling about 500 all-electric versions of the Ioniq in Korea per month and exporting about 1,000 units to international markets.

As we previously reported, Hyundai Ioniq Electric production is reportedly limited due to a ‘battery shortage’, according to Hyundai Canada.

The automaker has been promising to increase production for a while, but it has been limited to fewer than 2,000 units per month.

The electric version of the Kona is not expected to be produced in much higher volume as Hyundai is reportedly planning for about 30,000 units per year.