Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Malaysia, has just officially opened the order books on the Kona compact-crossover, a good two years after the car was first previewed locally in the metal. This development comes just a little while after an official interior teaser was shown off on their Facebook page, stirring interest in the sharply-styled crossover.

In a press release, HSDM has confirmed that the Kona will be arriving as a fully-imported model built in Hyundai’s plant in Ulsan, South Korea. With the Kona, Hyundai’s number of SUV offerings will rise to three, with the Kona joining the Tucson and Santa Fe. They have also confirmed that the Kona is set to go on sale in Q4 of this year. 

Measuring in at 4,165mm long, 1,800mm wide, 1,550mm tall sitting on a 2,600mm wheelbase, the Kona is shorter, lower, but wider than the segment-conquering Honda HR-V which it will have to compete with upon arrival.

Notably, HSDM has gone on to reveal that the new Kona will be offered with LED headlights, as well as a heads-up display projecting key driving information directly into the driver’s line of sight.

“We are excited about the launch of the Kona as it’s an entirely new product for us in this segment and we are reassured of a good response for the Kona. The Compact SUV is in great demand not only in Malaysia, but globally as well.”

Low Yuan Lung, Managing Director, Hyundai-Sime Darby Malaysia

Launched in 2017, the Kona has gone on to be a major sales success for the Korean marque, racking up more than 600,000 sales across the globe (excluding Hybrid and Electric variants). With multiple awards under its belt, the Kona is set to shake up the Malaysian market rather substantially upon arrival.

There does however remain two questions: Price, and Powertrain. On the latter front, sources are claiming that HSDM may offer the Kona with a 1.6-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine (177PS/265Nm), paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch auto. This would be the same powertrain that was shown in the Kona when it was first locally previewed at the KL International Motor Show back in 2018. However, it is equally possible that the Kona may arrive with a 2.0-litre MPI mill instead, which is currently employed in the Hyundai Elantra.

And then of course there is the matter of price. Hyundai has teased on its website that the Kona will go on sale for “RM11x,xxx” which suggests a price between RM110k and RM120k. This would put it above the Honda HR-V price-wise, but below the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota C-HR. That’s a pretty remarkable price-point given that the Kona is set to arrive as a CBU-import – the Toyota C-HR is also fully-imported, and its RM144k price tag doesn’t do it any favours.

The Hyundai Kona will certainly have a lot to contend with upon arrival. In addition to the Honda HR-V that’s dominated the segment since its launch, rivals like the aforementioned Mazda CX-3, Toyota C-HR, as well as other rivals like the Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008, as well as upcoming rivals like the Kia Seltos and PROTON X50. 

GALLERY: Hyundai Kona

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•