Hyundai moves EV production to Europe

04 February 2020

4 February 2020

Hyundai is to start building its Kona Electric model in Europe, reducing delivery times for dealerships across the continent.

The Korean manufacturer will produce its electric vehicle (EV) at its plant in the Czech Republic starting from next month and hopes to have 80,000 electric units available for the European market this year, tripling availability.

This will be backed by increasing the existing supply of the Kona Electric from Hyundai’s factory in Ulsan, South Korea, which will reduce the time it takes to deliver vehicles to dealers, allowing customers to get their vehicles sooner as a result and therefore improving potential market share.

The decision to produce the Kona Electric in Europe was made in order to better serve Hyundai’s European customers, the company said. Since going on sale in 2018, demand for the Kona Electric has surpassed expectations, and the increased capacity is intended to keep up with rising demand.

For 2020, Hyundai will provide over 80,000 units of zero-emission vehicles to European customers, including Kona Electric, Ioniq Electric and the Nexo fuel-cell car. With this development, Hyundai expects to become the biggest provider of zero-emission vehicles in Europe in 2020.

′We are listening to our customers and have made this decision in order to meet the growing demand for our electric vehicles,’ says Dong Woo Choi president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe. ′With more and more people becoming concerned about the impact of their choice of car on the environment, we see a huge potential for EVs in the European market. This reflects our progressive mind-set and will reinforce our position as a leader in future mobility.’

The Kona Electric was the first model on sale in Europe to offer a popular SUV-body type combined with a long-range electrified powertrain, positioning it as a significant step forward for customers looking for an electric car. With a series of enhancements recently introduced, it now provides even more benefits for customers, including faster three-phase charging in many European markets, new connectivity features and a new optional navigation system with 10.25-inch centre display.

Hyundai most likely will procure batteries for the Kona Electric in Europe and an announcement is expected in the next weeks. Korean battery makers LG Chem and SK Innovation have plants in Europe — in Poland and Hungary, respectively.