Overseas Sales to Continue
Hyundai Motor Co. has begun to discontinue the Kona EV. The automaker has reportedly decided to stop producing the Kona EV in Korea. However, it will continue to sell the electric vehicle (EV) overseas as it is still in demand in North America and Europe.
"We are no longer producing Kona EVs," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We have not definitely decided to stop production yet, but the model is expected to be discontinued naturally when the already produced volume is exhausted."
The Kona EV was launched in 2018. It sold 11,193 units in the first eight months of its launch in Korea, recording an average of 1,399 contracts per month. In 2019, Hyundai Motor sold 13,587 units of the Kona EV (a monthly average of 1,132 units), opening an era of EVs. However, Kona EV sales declined to 8,066 units in 2020 (a monthly average of 672 units) due to a series of fire accidents. In 2021, sales plummeted, posting eight units in January, 167 units in February and 809 units in March.
Industry watchers believe that new EV model launches such as the IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 in 2021 have advanced the discontinuance of the Kona EV.