Hyundai

‘Will there be a Hyundai Kona hybrid?’ and ‘Does the Hyundai Kona come in a hybrid?’ are two popular questions on Google right now.

It didn’t, but it does now, with Hyundai releasing details of the all-new Kona Hybrid.

Hyundai’s first sub-compact SUV arrived in 2017, with the Kona Electric debuting a year later. Nearly 120,000 have been sold in Europe, with buyers seemingly won over by the fact that the Kona was developed as an SUV from the ground up, rather than sharing its underpinnings with a hatchback.

66mpg and 99g/km CO2

The Kona Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine developing 105hp and 108lb ft of torque. It’s joined by a 43.5hp electric motor to deliver a combined output of 141hp and 195lb ft of torque.

Power is fed to the front wheels via a six-speed dual clutch transmission, with the Kona Hybrid hitting 62mph in 11.2 seconds on 16-inch wheels or 11.6 seconds on 18-inch rims. Top speed is 99mph, regardless of wheel size.

Hyundai is targeting CO2 emissions of 99g/km and fuel economy of 66mpg, but we’ll know precise figures closer to the Kona Hybrid’s launch in August.

As standard, the Hyundai Kona Hybrid will come with a 7-inch display, but a 10.25-inch split-touchscreen will be an option. All models will feature Apple Carplay and Android Auto, with a wireless charging pad available as an upgrade.

The eye-catching launch colour of Blue Lagoon (as seen here), will be joined by seven other exterior hues, with the Hybrid offered with a choice two wheel designs, both of which are unique to the car.

Hyundai’s SmartSense safety pack is standard and includes front collision warning and avoidance assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection. Adaptive cruise control is an option.

Cars fitted with the 10.25-inch display will feature an Eco-Driving Assist System designed to improve fuel economy. It analyses road information from the navigation system to notify the driver when deceleration is imminent.

Hyundai says that the system reduces fuel consumption and minimises brake usage. A Predictive Energy Management system manages charging and discharging of the battery to maximise the battery usage.

We’ll bring you more information on the Hyundai Kona Hybrid, along with driving impressions, in the summer.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin. This is a short story of Hyundai’s vision for the cockpit of the future – the view you’re likely to see when you’re sat behind the wheel of its next-generation cars.

“We are continuously working on new technologies that make our cars perfectly intuitive and user-friendly,” says Regina Kaiser, the human interface senior engineer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre. To this end, Hyundai has been focusing on reducing the number of buttons and creating a clean interface.

The most visible development is the creation of two touch panels on the steering wheel, which is sure to ruffle the feathers of those who believe in-car touchscreens are the work of the devil. The buttons can be adapted to the individual wishes of the driver, with the screens featuring two actuator modules beneath the surface to allow “for a stronger and more consistent haptic feedback,” claims Hyundai.

Meanwhile, the instrument cluster is a multi-layer display comprising two displays which are stacked behind each other at a distance of 6mm. This creates visual 3D effects: one part of the graphic is shown on the front display and the other part on the rear display.

According to Hyundai, this effect is used to guide the user’s attention with less distraction. The most important information, such as the speed limit, is shown at the front of the display.

The info shown on the steering wheel displays changes according to the information on the instrument cluster and also depending on the driving situation. The driver can also change the layout and create ‘shortcuts’ for entering specific applications. Customisation is important as it offers drivers maximum freedom, says Hyundai.

“We are doing research on the learnability, intuition and potential driver distraction of the virtual cockpit,” says Regina Kaiser.

Hyundai’s ‘virtual cockpit’ is still in the early prototype phase of development, but the Audi-style tech will be appearing in a new Hyundai soon. In the meantime, these images show how the technology could be integrated into a current i30.

Hyundai’s next-generation hydrogen electric car, the Nexo, has been driving along the most polluted streets in London – and purifying the air as it goes.

Hyundai teamed up with University College London (UCL) to map a route of the most polluted roads in the capital, including streets in Elephant & Castle, Kings Cross and Westminster (as we reported yesterday, Google is also in the process of mapping London air quality).

While the car itself only emits water and heat, it also has an air purification system that can filter 99.9 percent of fine dust and particulates in the air. Over the course of an hour, the Nexo can filter as much as 26.9 kilograms of air – enough, says Hyundai, to keep up to 42 adults breathing for an hour.

If 10,000 of these cars were on the road, it would have a similar carbon reduction effect to planting 60,000 trees. Big claims that for once, get some in-action proof. A demonstration was set up outside UCL, putting the filtration system to work live.

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“We are all concerned about air quality and what affects it”, says Sylvie Childs, Hyundai’s Senior Product Manager for Nexo.

“At Hyundai, we are committed to improving the efficiency and environmental performance of all our vehicles and have been investing billions in bringing a full range of low and zero emission vehicles to the marketplace. We believe that the availability of alternatives, like the Nexo fuel-cell electric vehicle, will bring the UK closer to its zero-emissions future.

“However, the responsibility for this cannot only rest with us, the manufacturer. We need the government to invest equally in incentives and infrastructure that would enable Brits to have better choices when it comes to the car they drive and how it can fit into their lives.”

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You don’t need an excuse to buy a Hyundai i30 N, but just in case you were teetering on the edge of buying one of its competitors, maybe a free track day will convince you that Korean is the way to go.

Hyundai’s ‘Nth Degree Experience’ gives consumers the chance to get behind the wheel of the i30 N at the Millbrook Proving Ground, where they can take to the ‘High-Speed Bowl’ or the ‘Mile Straight’. Four different drives will showcase the hot Hyundai’s performance, technology, control and handling.

Hyundai will be monitoring the drivers’ performance and awarding them points throughout the day, with the person at the top of the leaderboard at the end of each session winning a Hyundai Motorsport WRC Co-Drive experience. The lucky winners will be driven by one of Hyundai’s rally drivers on an actual stage used during this year’s Wales Rally GB.

And, if that’s not enough, the overall winner will experience a full weekend at Wales Rally GB in October, which will include meals and overnight accommodation.

Nth Degree Hub

Off track, participants will have access to the ‘Nth Degree Hub’, where guests can take part in interactive challenges and be given the opportunity to share their verdict on the i30 N.

Tony Whitehorn, Hyundai UK’s president and CEO, commented: “i30 N is the first vehicle from Hyundai’s new performance N range and it has been engineered to deliver maximum driving pleasure.

“We’ve designed the Nth Degree Experience to give consumers the opportunity to, not only experience our new hot hatch, but to really put it through its paces. Each exclusive session promises to be fun and competitive, with guests getting the chance to perfect their driving skills on some of Millbrook’s most challenging routes that aren’t normally open to members of the public.”

The event is free-of-charge and will take place on 11, 12, 18 and 19 August at Millbrook, Bedfordshire. Consumers need to register at nthdegree.hyundai.co.uk.

Hyundai i30 N prices start from £25,010 for the standard 250hp car and £28,010 for the 275hp Performance edition, which also features an electronic diff, active exhaust, Pirelli P Zero tyres and uprated brakes.

Read more:

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