Hyundai to drive in electric SUV ‘Kona’ in India in July

Guwahati: South Korean auto major Hyundai will drive in its first electric vehicle 'Kona' SUV into India in July, followed by a brand new 'Grand i10' before the festive season as it looks to increase its share in the auto market here, a top company official said on Wednesday.

Besides, the automaker, which is present in India through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), is planning to start exporting its latest compact SUV 'Venue' from its Chennai factory in the next 3-4 months.

"We are constantly adding new products in our portfolio for the Indian market. We will launch our electric SUV 'Kona' in India in July," HMIL senior general manager and group head (Marketing) Puneet Anand said.

He, however, declined to share specification details of the proposed sports utility vehicle planned for India.

Earlier, Hyundai had announced plans to launch its first electric vehicle in a completely knock-down (CKD) form, which would be assembled at HMIL's manufacturing plant in Chennai.

"After the electric vehicle, we will introduce a full model change variant of an existing small car. It is going to be the 'Grand i10' and it will hit the roads before the festival season this year," Anand said. pti