GMS 2018: 8 best press reactions to the Kona Electric
Combining the two hottest automotive trends – eco-mobility and SUV style – the All-New Kona Electric not only makes eco-mobility more attractive and affordable for everyone, it also lays down a major challenge to other manufacturers. With a long-range battery that offers an outstanding range of 482 kilometres (based on WLTP regulations) on a single charge, the Kona Electric is rightly being hailed as a game-changer.
Of course, this led to a lot being written about it across the world’s media. To save you spending hours reading every article, here’s the best of the press:
Of course, this led to a lot being written about it across the world’s media. To save you spending hours reading every article, here’s the best of the press:
Premiered digitally and unveiled to the world at the Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai Motor’s All-New Kona Electric looks set to disrupt the electric car market.
1. Top Gear
Of course, for the petrolheads at Top Gear, straight-line speed is everything. Thankfully, the Kona Electric has it in abundance, and they were mightily impressed that the long-range version offers “201bhp and an almost hot hatch-like 7.6 seconds 0-100km/h sprint”.
Describing the original Kona as “a fun thing to drive”, it’s safe to say Top Gear is looking forward to getting behind the wheel of its electrified sibling, especially when it says “the abundant (and instantly available) torque of an electric version could turn it into a proper little tearaway.”
2. Sunday Times
While the Sunday Times also noted that the Kona Electric offers “spritely performance”, it looked at its significance in the wider context of the electric car market. In this regard, the internationally-respected newspaper couldn’t have been more enthusiastic, declaring that Hyundai had “stolen the lead over the Nissan Qashqai”.
It predicted that the Kona Electric would encourage many SUV drivers to “switch to a zero-emission electric model instead” due to its status as "the first family SUV that offers battery power at an affordable price”.
3. The Verge
Not surprisingly, popular tech news website The Verge was drawn to the Kona Electric’s SmartSense “suite of semi-autonomous driving and safety features, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision assist, lane keep assist, and blind spot warning”.
Thinking of the future-facing smartphone generation, it was happy to report that the Kona Electric will “come standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Qi wireless charging, a head-up display and a 7-inch infotainment screen”.
4. CNN
Globally-renowned news network CNN confirmed the Kona Electric’s status as a major new contender in the electric car market, judging that it would “have the power and price to compete against the Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt EV”.
It was also pleased that the Kona Electric’s 482-kilometre range was calculated using the new European WLTP regulations, which were “designed to yield more realistic results than tests that have been used before”.
5. Digital Trends
While it might be one of the world’s most popular technology-oriented websites, Digital Trends was still drawn to the Kona Electric’s expressive design, describing it as offering “long range, funky styling”.
Although it notes that the new model’s “styling doesn’t change dramatically from the non-electric Kona", Digital Trends agreed that the progressive appearance created by the closed grille and Composite Light are “a better match for the Kona Electric’s forward-thinking powertrain”.
6. Engadget
Hyundai has billed the Kona Electric as a car of no compromise, thanks to its winning mix of progressive looks, outstanding range and fun-to-drive characteristics, and Engadget agreed, telling its reader that it meant they wouldn’t “have to compromise to get an eco-friendly crossover”.
With Kona Electric offering a combination of “ample space with meaningful performance”, Engadget declared that “Hyundai's newly bolstered EV strategy” was “off to a good start”.
7. Autogefühl
In its extensive YouTube review from the Geneva Motor Show, Autogefühl positively purred over the Kona Electric, telling viewers that it offers “a little taste of what the future might look like” and appreciating the “flair and innovation” Hyundai had employed to create a product that is “a little bit special”.
Reporting live from the Hyundai stand, Autogefühl summed the Kona Electric up as “dynamic, without in any way looking like it’s pretending to be anything other than it is, and from first glance, it’s a really fun exterior. You really want to enjoy this car”.
8. Motor1.com
Whilst noticing that the “pretty unique” Kona Electric “carries over much of the same bold look of its more traditional sibling”, Motor1.com took a deeper dive into its performance figures and found them more than favourable to its rivals in both the sports and electric car markets.
It revelled in the “Porsche 718 Cayman-busting” 291lb ft torque generated by both of the Kona Electric powertrains, while it pointed out that the larger battery version's 482-kilometre range is “almost double the distance of a BMW i3 EV and more than a Tesla Model 3 can manage”.
Contacts
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Florian Büngener
Head of Department PR & Communications
fbuengener@hyundai-europe.com LinkedIn ProfileAdriana Cerami
Head of Section Corporate & Brand PR
acerami@hyundai-europe.comKatharina Kupper
Hyundai Newsroom Lead
kkupper@hyundai-europe.comAnja Wente
Product PR & Communications Expert
awente@hyundai-europe.comElvira Herrera
Corporate Communications Expert
eherrera@hyundai-europe.comÁngel Pino Pérez
Product Communications Professional
apinoperez@hyundai-europe.comMaria Bricio
Corporate & Brand Communications Expert
