Hyundai Motor has started production of the all-new KONA Electric at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC) — its Czech Republic-based plant. During the first year, HMMC says it intends to manufacture more than 20,000 units of the KONA Electric, adding that with this development the company is working toward its commitment to sell only zero-emission vehicles in Europe by 2035.
In 2020, the first-generation KONA Electric became Hyundai’s first electric vehicle to be produced in Europe, supplementing its supply from the company’s Ulsan plant in South Korea and drastically reducing delivery times for customers in Europe.
The second-generation KONA Electric continues with this strategy to better serve the European market; furthermore, HMMC had a significant say in the new model’s development for Europe, starting with the preparation of initial sketches. HMMC said this new development process allowed it to not only shape the all-new KONA Electric’s character and parameters but also consider the specifics of the plant at an earlier stage.
Michael Cole, Hyundai Motor Europe’s president and CEO, said: “Hyundai regards Europe as a core market, which is why we produce more than 70% of our models — designed with European customers in mind — in Europe. In response to the growing demand for our EVs in the region and with a focus on shortened delivery times, producing one of our most important electric cars in Europe underlines the importance of the European market for Hyundai.”
HMMC said it expects KONA Electric to represent 15% of the plant’s total production by late 2023, thanks in part to the fact that the EV from HMMC will be delivered to an additional 20 countries to the current 22 exclusively European markets, adding that while by the end of this year 21,000 cars of the new generation KONA Electric model will be produced, a further 50,000 will be manufactured next year.
KONA Electric’s battery cells are manufactured at LG Energy Solution’s plant in Wroclaw, Poland. The batteries are then assembled in their final form at the same HMMC facility that produced manual transmissions until the end of 2021.