Hyundai Kona: Malaysian debut in Q4, CBU, fr RM11Xk

Hyundai Sime-Darby Motors (HSDM) has announced that the Hyundai Kona will be officially launched sometime in Q4 this year. Earlier, the company had teased the compact SUV’s impending arrival on its Facebook page, and had also opened the order books for the car via its website.

The Kona will go on sale here as a fully-imported CBU unit, and while final pricing has yet to be revealed, it has been stated that the price of the B-segment offering will start from RM11X,XXX. Its arrival is well due – the Kona was initially planned for introduction sometime in the second quarter of last year following its preview at the 2018 KL International Motor Show (KLIMS).

When it arrives, the Kona will join the seven-seater Santa Fe and five-seater Tucson to make it a three SUV line-up for the company locally. It will compete against the likes of the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota CH-R in its segment.

The exact number of variants that will go on sale here remain unknown, but the booking mention of “prices starting from” implies that there will be more than one. As for engine options, that also remains a mystery, although there are quite a few to pick from.

These include a 2.0 litre MPI, 1.0 litre T-GDI three-cylinder and a 1.6 litre Gamma T-GDI. The 1.6 litre unit, which comes with 177 PS, 265 Nm of torque and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, was seen in the car previewed at KLIMS.

No indication of whether the all-electric powertrain option is on the cards – Cohesive Mobility Solution (COMOS) had previously announced a leasing plan for the Kona Electric, but that may be an entirely separate affair.

The local specification for the car will include LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, LED tail lights and a number of bold exterior colour options. Inside, the Kona will feature contrast elements, including for the stitching on the steering wheel and seats, as well as coloured seatbelts.

Kit will include a head-up display with an active pop-up screen, wireless device charging and a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support. Available equipment from the global catalogue includes a premium sound system by Krell, but no word on whether that has been specified here.

As for safety, the Kona will come equipped with the automaker’s SmartSense system, which includes lane keeping assist, blind-spot collision warning and downhill brake control, among other things.