Hyundai announces EV offensive in the USA
Hyundai Motor America plans to expand its range of electric and hybrid models from the current five to 13 by 2022. According to the Korean manufacturer’s American offshoot, the range will consist of six sedans and seven SUVs.
Some of the models are already known. Three of the six limousines announced will be the revised Ioniq – Hyundai will count the hybrid, PHEV and electric versions as independent models. The facelift models are already available in Europe and Asia, and the Ioniq will be presented at this month’s Los Angeles Auto Show in the USA.
Sedan number four will be the Sonata Hybrid. The eighth generation of the model would already be presented in spring, followed by a full hybrid in 2020. The 2.0-litre petrol engine and the electric motor will deliver a system output of 143 kW, and fuel consumption is expected to be around five litres per 100 kilometres.
Further models have not yet been confirmed. Online news site Carscoops speculates, however, that the hybrid drive from the Sonata could also be used in other models – such as the SUV Tucson, which is also available in Europe. InsideEVs also assumes that the announced models are probably “lots of hybrid versions of vehicles” that are already being sold on the American market. It is also possible that the Kona Hybrid will come to the USA. Apart from the fully electric Kona, only fossil-fuelled cars have been sold in North America so far.
In the meantime, the Kona Electric has also been launched in China under the name Encino EV. The version with 150 kW output and 64 kWh battery is offered in China at prices starting at 172,800 Yuan (approx. 22,400 euros) after subsidies. The Encino was adapted only minimally for the Chinese market.
insideevs.com, carscoops.com, hyundainews.com, facebook.com (Encino EV)
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