SPY PICS: Next Hyundai Kona will be bigger

The next-generation 2023 Hyundai Kona has been spotted on public roads in Spain undergoing real-world testing under a thick veil of camouflage, but all the camo in the world couldn’t hide its increased proportions.

Most of the extra size looks to come from an extended wheelbase and longer nose, which is little wonder given the next Hyundai Kona is expected to share its platform with the incoming new-generation Kia Niro, which is bigger than its predecessor in every respect.

A growth spurt for the Kona would make sense on the basis of Hyundai’s broader SUV range, following the trend of bigger bodies/cabin layouts for the mid-size Hyundai Tucson and larger Hyundai Santa Fe.

Just as Kia already offers Seltos, Niro and Stonic in the compact crossover/SUV class, Hyundai could also mount a wider attack on the segment with another model joining Kona and Venue.

Hyundai’s European line-up features the i20-based Bayon, which occupies a similar slice of the market as the Venue does in Australia. But that still leaves room for another Euro-bred small-to-medium SUV contender.

The thick, line-warping and shape-hiding camouflage on the car shown here makes it difficult to ascertain much about the new Kona’s body, but it seems the small SUV will look to mimic the much bigger Hyundai Palisade in terms of its vertically-split headlight arrangement.

Details are even harder to spot from the rear, however the presence of a single-outlet exhaust system confirms this isn’t the new-gen Kona Electric.

Instead, the aerodynamic wheels and the Continental EcoContact6 tyres suggest this could be the next Kona Hybrid.

Popular in Europe but not offered in Australia, the current Kona Hybrid is powered by the same 104kW/265Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric powertrain as the Niro Hybrid, which will offer a development of this set-up with the incoming new series.

There’s been no official word from Hyundai as to when the new Kona will make its global debut, but our sources – on the basis of typical development timelines and model cycles – have nominated a possible 2023 reveal.

That would give the current Kona a lifecycle of six or seven years (depending on the new model’s market introduction), which is bang on the typical period.

With Hyundai having reportedly shut down its expansive combustion engine development division, it’s almost certain the next Kona will be powered by updated carryover powertrains comprising the base 2.0-litre, 1.6-litre hybrid and 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol units – plus the battery-electric system powering the Kona Electric.

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