Hyundai 'Kona' city SUV set for 2017 debut

Hyundai’s highly-anticipated city SUV has a name – unofficially, at least.

The new sub-Tucson offering will be known as the Kona, according to the well-informed Hyundai-blog. It will make its global debut mid-2017 before likely reaching Australian showrooms later in the year, it is believed.

motoring.com.au understands the latest high-riding creation, internally codenamed the OS, will target the likes of the Nissan QASHQAI and Toyota C-HR on the sales front, thanks to size and packaging relative to the now-defunct Hyundai ix35.

The newcomer is believed to share similar underpinnings to the i30 and Elantra – and for that reason is set to offer more interior and boot space than Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V.

The Kona will form a key component of Hyundai’s future sales aspirations in Australia, playing into one of the fastest growing segments in the industry.

It will also continue the Korean’s American-themed nomenclature strategy by referencing a popular tourist location on Hawaii’s Big Island, and also the location for the world’s premier Iron Man event. This naming tactic follows in the wheel tracks of the Tucson, Sante Fe and Tiburon, all recognisable American locations.

Hyundai Australia remains tight-lipped on the project, however spy shots that emerged late last year reveal the Kona will sport a funky design treatment, highlighted by a new strip of LEDs which flank the headlights.

Linking with the new i30 due out in April, the Kona is expected to be offered with a similar choice of engines, including a 2.0-litre direct-injection petrol four-cylinder, a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder and a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four fitted with the same DCT gearbox as the Elantra SR Turbo.

The Kona’s arrival will see Hyundai step back into a segment it once enjoyed moderate success in. The now-defunct ix35 enjoyed relatively strong sales locally before it was replaced by the current, larger Tucson, but the latest instalment will see Hyundai have an iron in every fire.