Hyundai to manufacture Kona Electric in India, may even export

A new report from The Economic Times says that the company plans to manufacture the EV in our country.

“Kona will be launched in the second half of the current calendar year. The car can go up to 350 km per charge and the charging time is 60 minutes. The manufacturing will be geared towards domestic users but at a later point, we will look at exports,” B.C. Datta, Vice President - Corporate Affairs, Hyundai India, told the business publication on the sidelines of the Tamil Nadu Investor Summit 2019 yesterday.

Hyundai will invest INR 7,000 crore in India to scale up its operations. The company plans to expand the production capacity in Tamil Nadu from 7 lakh units to 8 lakh units.

The Hyundai Kona Electric is a sophisticated pure electric B-SUV developed especially for western markets. It is 4,180 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,570 mm tall. It is available in a basic version and a long-range version internationally. India may get only the latter at launch.

Hyundai Kona Electric - Specifications

• Basic version - 39.2 kWh Lithium-ion Polymer battery, 136 PS/395 Nm electric motor, 254 km range (South Korean test cycle)
• Long-range version - 64 kWh Lithium-ion Polymer battery, 204 PS/395 Nm electric motor, 406 km range (South Korean test cycle)

The Hyundai Kona Electric will arrive in India as the country's first-ever pure electric SUV. Reports last year said that the launch is scheduled to take place in July 2019.