Hyundai unveils Kona Electric SUV in Europe

SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) — Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest carmaker by sales, has unveiled the Kona Electric in Europe ahead of the Geneva Motor Show next month, the company said Wednesday.

The all-electric crossover comes with a pair of powertrain options, one with a 64 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack with a range of 470 kilometers (292 miles) on a single charge and the other with a 39.2 kWh battery pack with a range of 300 km, Hyundai Motor said in a statement.

It takes 54 minutes to charge 80 percent of the 64 kWh battery at a rapid charging station, with the full charging time reaching nine hours and 40 minutes on a slow charger. To charge up the 39.2 kWh battery car, it takes six hours and 10 minutes on a slow charger, the carmaker said.

The Kona Electric is equipped with a series of safety features, such as forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, driver attention warning and lane following assist.

In the domestic market, Hyundai Motor said it began to receive preorders for the Kona Electric last month and plans to launch the electric subcompact SUV in April.

The company has not decided when to start selling the Kona Electric in overseas markets, a company spokesman said.

This photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor shows the company's Kona Electric SUV. (Yonhap) This photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor shows the company’s Kona Electric SUV. (Yonhap)

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr

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