Hyundai’s much-awaited and much-publicized Kona subcompact CUV goes on sale in dealerships throughout South Korea with no official launch ceremony taking place.
A Hyundai official tells WardsAuto the automaker received more than 5,000 preorders for the new offering, Hyundai’s first B-segment utility vehicle, before taking firm sales orders.
The Kona’s silent sales launch may have been intentional so as not to upstage the press reveal of Hyundai affiliate Kia’s competing Stonic subcompact CUV at the automakers’ combined design and development center in Namyang, Korea.
Kia has no plans to offer the Stonic in the U.S. but will focus mainly on Korea and the European markets. Sales launch July 13 in Korea and sometime in the third quarter in Europe.
The Kona is offered in six trim levels. The gasoline-powered base model starts at 18.95 million won ($16,700). The Pop, Tech and Art gas-engine versions begin at 20.95 million won ($18,400) and the Premium gas-engine edition starts at 24.25 million won ($21,300).
There is a Flux range as well, with the entry-level Flux Modern model with gas engine offered at 22.5 million ($19,800). The Flux Premium is priced at 24.85 million ($21,800) and the Flux Premium Special tops the range at 26.8 million won ($23,600).
An additional 1.95 million ($1,700) applies for diesel-engine versions of all models in all trim categories.
The 5,000 preorders received prior to the Kona’s official sales launch outpaced the 4,000 preorders tallied by rival Ssangyong’s Tivoli when that subcompact CUV had its spectacular sales launch in Korea in 2015.
To stoke Stonic preorders Kia is offering gifts to customers that include wallets, speakers, sunglasses and other small items.
A complete model and price range has not been revealed, but a Kia spokesman says the Stonic’s base price with diesel engine is 18.95 million won ($16,700), said to be the lowest price for a diesel-equipped CUV in Korea. The gas-powered Kona is offered at the same price, but the Kona base-model diesel variant is 20.9 million won ($18,400).
Kia is offering the Stonic in Korea only with diesel engines, with the upper trim range priced at 23 million won ($20,300), so by comparison the Stonic undercuts diesel-equipped Konas across the board by about 2 million won ($1,800).
The Kona goes on sale in the U.S. in first-quarter 2018, following a December production start, Hyundai Motor America officials have said. No reason for keeping the Stonic out of the U.S. market is given, although decisions on offering imported vehicles in the U.S. mainly turn on analysis and recommendations by the U.S. affiliates of both Hyundai and Kia.
While both Hyundai and Kia function as separate entities, the two are affiliated arms of Hyundai Motor Group, a virtual entity headed by Hyundai Chairman Chung Mong-koo that oversees planning and marketing for more than 50 individual companies.
