Is the Kona EV dead in Canada?

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miatadan said:
It was the " just very ordinary " , along with the fwd that did not appeal to me at all.
Dan
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That "just very ordinary" is a very subjective statement, and many, and probably most would disagree with that. When I bought my Kona, didn't look very ordinary at all, with it's funky pug nose. And even today, still get occasional questions and positive comments on the looks in shopping parking lots.

I would argue that Tesla would better fit the "ordinary" description, and their style has not changed since the first S model, 8 or 10 years ago. And the interior is worse than ordinary. A low trim Corolla has a better looking interior than the M3.
 
R P said:
That "just very ordinary" is a very subjective statement, and many, and probably most would disagree with that. When I bought my Kona, didn't look very ordinary at all, with it's funky pug nose. And even today, still get occasional questions and positive comments on the looks in shopping parking lots.

I would argue that Tesla would better fit the "ordinary" description, and their style has not changed since the first S model, 8 or 10 years ago. And the interior is worse than ordinary. A low trim Corolla has a better looking interior than the M3.
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Just got home from work and replying now...

I looked ip interior photos of some Ev's as well as the Toyota Corolla you mentioned.

To me the Hyundai Kona electric and Toyota Corolla both have conventional ICE style dash with lots of knobs , switches which is why I said ordinary looking.

The photos of the Porsche Taycan interior, Tesla M3 has the most modern looking interiors using touch controls ( more futuristic ) than the conventional type interiors.

Only thing missing from the Tesla M3 was the ventilated seats, SiriusXM , Apple CarPlay etc, so do not get where you see it is worse interior than base Corolla. I had the ventilated seats in the 2019 VW Jetta but never used it as it felt strange to feel air coming out the back&seat where you sit so I never used that feature and if use the heated function, only had it on low.

If money not a issue it be the Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo on top of my wish list instead of the Tesla S.

I also like the interior of Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Mustang Mach-E

Dan







2022 model 3.webp
2022 kona electric.webp
corolla2022.webp
porsche taycan 2022.webp
 
Now that an updated Kia Niro EV has been announced, the lack of news about a new Kona seems like an ominous sign. Too bad. I still love mine, and am missing it a lot while it's in transit to join me in Hawaii ( temporarily driving an ICE rental -- ugh).
 
I went to confirm my coolant flush quote for my Kona $750 (this after a 20% front line worker discount, ouch). While I was there they had a long range preferred RWD Ioniq 5 beckoning me. One thing led to another and I took it home for a 5 hour test test drive :).

I gotta say I am not sure why a new buyer would bother looking at a Kona EV. While I love the Kona and it felt revolutionary when I bought it exactly 2 years ago the Ioniq5 is clearly more evolutionary. But oh my gosh that said it is an impressive car. It makes all the good things about the Kona exponentially better. Long live the Kona, the Kona is dead!
 
apu said:
I went to confirm my coolant flush quote for my Kona $750 (this after a 20% front line worker discount, ouch). While I was there they had a long range preferred RWD Ioniq 5 beckoning me. One thing led to another and I took it home for a 5 hour test test drive :).

I gotta say I am not sure why a new buyer would bother looking at a Kona EV. While I love the Kona and it felt revolutionary when I bought it exactly 2 years ago the Ioniq5 is clearly more evolutionary. But oh my gosh that said it is an impressive car. It makes all the good things about the Kona exponentially better. Long live the Kona, the Kona is dead!
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Wonder how many $ the coolant flush will be on the I5 ( I understand there are 2 systems- low conductive and regular)
One thing to maybe have a concern about (in your neck of the woods) due to the low position of the dampers:

quz5st8qpud81.webp

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ioniq5/comments/scg2jm/ioniq_5_air_flaps_not_closing_after_cold_week_in/

Just a heads up;)
 
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electriceddy said:
Wonder how many $ the coolant flush will be on the I5 ( I understand there are 2 systems- low conductive and regular)
One thing to maybe have a concern about (in your neck of the woods) due to the low position of the dampers:

quz5st8qpud81.webp

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ioniq5/comments/scg2jm/ioniq_5_air_flaps_not_closing_after_cold_week_in/

Just a heads up;)
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Yes, coolant changes and intervals are going to be the same expensive maintenance concern. I am just coming to grips that this is the unholy price to pay. Hopefully the low conductive coolant price will drop at some point. Once its out of battery warranty I would probably be inclined to just convert the vehicle to the conventional pre 2020 model coolant. Funny enough my service advisor was more floored than me when he realized how much the coolant change was going to be and suggested I just trade it in to avoid the charge :).

I can see how the dampeners could be a problem. I honestly don't feel Hyundai does enough extreme cold testing in general. This last week of extreme low temperatures in the Prairies have been rough on on the Kona as well. The rear ebrake motors whine like they want to die in the cold and the front charge port has been packing with snow from highway travel and the door has been extremely reluctant to even open. This gave me a few panicked moments at DC chargers wondering how I was going get that sucker open so I could make it home.
 
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Bruce M. said:
Now that an updated Kia Niro EV has been announced, the lack of news about a new Kona seems like an ominous sign. Too bad. I still love mine, and am missing it a lot while it's in transit to join me in Hawaii ( temporarily driving an ICE rental -- ugh).
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New Kona is due in 2023.
 
I just talked to an Ioniq 5 dealer while looking to replace my Kona due to the battery issue and was told the Kona EV is going away, and with Ioniq being spun off as a separate brand, a new Ioniq will be introduced as the replacement to the Kona - a smaller, less expensive Ioniq 5.
 
While I agree the Kona's styling is traditional, I appreciate my Kona having a few good-sized knobs and switches, which I can operate by feel. The kind of things you need to adjust while driving, like fine tuning the mirror position, or adjusting the stereo volume or temperature. I've ridden in a Telsa M3 and find the interior stark looking and inviting distraction. I hope if there is a Kona replacement it would offer updated electric drive/charging technology while keeping a similar size - big enough to be practical but small enough to be easy and fun to drive around town and on the open road. And styling that is modern without being sterile.
 
EricP said:
And styling that is modern without being sterile.
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Good point. I don't like sterile interiors either. The Ioniq 5 seems to be moving in that direction. That's one thing about the German cars, you can't call their interiors sterile.
 
apu said:
I tried to look up Kona EV on the online configurator today which is now unavailable because they are simply "sold out" with no option to order, weird.
Considering the pricing for a Kona is virtually no different than a better spec Ioniq 5 I have to wonder if 2022 model is the rumored swan song for the Kona EV. I suppose they may just not want to commit to 2023 ordering or pricing, nonetheless interesting.
I see they are still available online in the US market but they seem to have a better unsold inventory situation.
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It's my understanding that the Kona EV has the same battery problem as the Chevy Bolt. Like the Bolt, Hyundai used LG in Korea as their battery supplier. Hyundai is being less transparent about it than Chevy. Fortunately for us, Kia's Niro EV uses a completely different battery supplier.
 
I have no regrets in my less than state of the art, battery recalled, FWD 2020 Kona Limited. Hyundai clearly wanted to get them off the lot the day I came by. I love the car. I leased it with a total 3 year payment of $6,000 and a $20,000 residual value at lease end. That makes it a total in at $26,000 if I buy it from them in two more years. Plus I would not have been able to take advantage of the $7500 federal tax credit any other way, so leasing was the only way to get it. Where can you get a 64kWh battery and a 258 mile range for that money? It barely cost more than ICE version.
 
apu said:
I suppose it could also be due to the semiconductor chip shortages as well. If it does return I don't see how they are going sell any unless they drop the price further especially if you compare it to the Ioniq 5 marketing. I imagine since its stop sale in Korea they may have already retooled their manufacturing resources to other ventures in the E-GMP platform and we would likely have to source Konas from the Czech Republic plant. Not sure how cost effective it would be to do that as I suspect their European manufacturing unit cost are probably higher. The lower spec Indian made Kona EV would likely be a non starter import in North America.

Its a shame if they kill the Kona after only 4 model years, especially in the context of future affordable parts availability. I still find it interesting how the Kona was one of the best EVs available only 3 years ago(its still pretty awesome) but the tech improvements are clearly moving much faster. I feel confident even the Ioniq 5 will be disrupted perhaps to obsolescence in less time if longer range solid or semi solid state lithium batteries hit manufacturing levels. More than ever I am convinced we are buying disposable laptops on wheels. We live in interesting times.
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Now we all own a 'collectors item'? :eek:
 
DaveO said:
Not sure if this will affect Canada, but found a Jan 28 article about 2023 Kona production...

"Next-gen 2023 Hyundai Kona EV in the Pipeline"
https://topelectricsuv.com/news/hyundai/next-gen-hyundai-kona-ev-future/

I know everyone is agog about the Ionic5, but my wife wants traditional controls, and not a minimalist design, in a future car. There is something to be said about ease of adoption by regular folks as more EVs come to market.....
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i hope the Kona continues, and I hope it stays close to its current size. Your mileage may vary, but the look of the Ionic5 does nothing for me, though I'm sure it's a great vehicle.
 
There is no reason for the Kona to continue. The Ioniq 5 is much better vehicle and someone else posted future Ioniq 3 most likely replacement. From what I read Ioniq will be its own line like Genesis.
 
It seems that many of us prefer the size of the Kona - now that we own one! ;) Not sure about you but my wife and I did notice 'smallish' size, particularly the rear cargo area, but decided that it is perfect for our needs. I am OK with the Ioniq 5 but I find it a bit oversized.

The 'converted gas car' concept for EVs is now passe, not to mention Hyundai's commitments to move away from building gas cars - and fast. Hence the end of the Kona line is inevitable. Maybe one more version? It seems that I have caught the glimpse of a 2022 Kona with the 'beluga whale' nose, but I may be mistaken. At the end I would not be surprised if there will be a number of Kona EVs on the road for many years - like old VW Beetles and Love Bugs.
 
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