Recently, a prototype of the model has been spotted in Spain.
New spy photos of the next generation Hyundai Kona have been taken in Spain during road tests. These photos show the prototype powered by an internal combustion engine with less camouflage. Although it is still very disguised in certain areas, we can now see the overall design language for the crossover.
The new Kona will have a very similar design to the Tucson. This is best seen around the wheels, where the angular wheel arches lurk underneath the cloth covers. These forms strongly remind us the larger Tucson. The same bold design language can be found at the back. However, the rear end remains largely invisible to the eye.
As you can see in the spy photographs, the exhaust is located below the rear bumper. The exhaust is perpendicularly mounted and has one pipe that points towards the ground. This could indicate that the prototype has a diesel engine. However, a compression-ignition option for the new Kona has yet to be confirmed. The current Kona, which is also available in Europe with a 1.6-liter diesel motor, can be found under the hood in some regions of the Tucson.
We don’t anticipate any major changes in the engine range for the new Kona. Two electrified turbo-gas engines with displacements of 1.0 or 1.6 liters should be available, depending on market conditions. A hybrid powertrain may also be available. Although the fate of CRDi diesel is unknown at this time, we do know that there will be a next generation Kona Electric later in the model’s lifetime. We believe that the Kona N performance crossover will survive and see a second generation. However, Hyundai has not yet commented on it.