Hyundai Kona spotted undisguised ahead of June debut in the UK

Fourth model in the its maker's SUV line-up is charged with making Hyundai Europe’s leading automotive brand; it'll cost about £15k.

By Sam Sheehan Autocar UK calendar 11 May 2017 Views icon4006 Views Share - Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to LinkedIn Share to Whatsapp

Fourth model in the its maker's SUV line-up is charged with making Hyundai Europe’s leading automotive brand; it'll cost about £15k. The Hyundai Kona small SUV has been spotted undisguised ahead of its official debut this June.

An image posted on a Facebook page shows the car being filmed for what appears to be promotional footage, revealing its exterior design in full for the first time.

The car takes a new design direction from other Hyundai models with twin headlights and a cascading grille. The back looks to share some lines with the Tucson.  

hyundai-kona-5

 The new picture is the only sighting of the vehicle without covers. Earlier glimpses were of a development car that was under camouflage at the Nürburgring.

The Nissan Juke rival is due to launch next month and will be priced from about £15,000.

It'll be the fourth SUV in Hyundai's line-up and is charged with taking Europe by storm, as part of ambitions to make Hyundai the biggest Asian car maker in the market by 2021.

hyundai-kona-1 

It'll be built upon a structure shared with parent company Kia's Stonic which is also due at the Frankfurt motor show this September.

The Kona is described by Hyundai as a 'true SUV', suggesting it’ll have four-wheel drive and could share technology with the larger Hyundai Santa Fe. It'll be a global product, unlike the i30, and enters one of the most fiercely competitive markets in the industry.

Its true SUV ethos would contrast rivals such as the Juke and Kia Soul which are marketed with a more urban focus.

As part of Hyundai's European push, the Kona, which gets its name from a district in Hawaii, will be followed by 29 more new model variants.

 

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