HYUNDAI’s premium subcompact SUV – the all-new Kona – has officially arrived in Africa and Middle East markets, with the brand targeting young, fashion-conscious drivers pursuing an active, fast-paced lifestyle. The carmaker believes the model will have a particularly strong appeal to young women, holding the regional launch in Saudi Arabia to celebrate the fact that women in the Kingdom are now, for the first time, taking their place in the driver’s seat.

Kona is named after an iconic coastal area of Hawaii, famous among thrill-seeking travelers. That energy is reflected in the innovative, passionate and dynamic image of the new Hyundai, strengthening the brand’s SUV heritage. By developing a completely new premium SUV, identifiable by its distinctive and progressive design, and equipping it with the latest technology in drivetrain, convenience, safety and driver assistance features, Hyundai has created an all-new model that meets the highest customer expectations.

“With Kona, we are reaching out to customers who place great importance on design and technology, and who want the newest and best – they want to stand out from the crowd,” said Mike Song, Hyundai’s Head of Operations for Africa and the Middle East. “Kona is a lifestyle statement, expanding our extremely successful SUV range in an exciting new direction, while also ensuring that we offer excellent value to our customers. It’s a unique proposition that will resonate strongly with younger drivers, and we believe the Kona will be a very strong seller among young female drivers.”

Recognizing the Kona’s strong appeal to style-conscious young women, Hyundai chose Jeddah in Saudi Arabia as the regional launch venue for the new model, and Saudi Arabia will also be the first market in the region to receive shipments of the Kona to showrooms. Hyundai will offer a special Saudi ladies’ edition, with options including an ‘abaya alert’ function – warning if an abaya is likely to be trapped by a closing door – among other extra features.

The Kona is cool and confident – a completely new character in Hyundai’s SUV line-up. Its front is expressive and powerful, characterized by the Cascading Grille, the company’s family identity. The bold front and rear is emphasized by the car’s wide stance and its voluminous, confident body styling. Optional 18-inch alloy wheels further contribute to the bold character of the car. The two-tone roof and the wide choice of distinctive exterior colors offer a high degree of personalization for buyers: You drive it, You define it.

Customers can personalize the interior of the Kona with three distinctive colors: Orange, Lime and Red. The floating navigation touchscreen, in its ergonomic position, allows drivers to stay tuned to the traffic ahead at all times.

Hyundai’s new Kona features a head-up display which projects relevant driving information directly into the driver’s line of sight. The Display Audio allows passengers to mirror their smartphone’s content onto the system’s 7-inch display via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, where available. An optional 8-inch infotainment system integrates navigation, media and connectivity features. For even more connectivity comfort, the optional wireless inductive charging pad (Qi standard) charges the passengers’ smartphones and connects mobile devices with USB ports and AUX jacks. Kona also offers a high-end, premium eight-speaker sound system by audio manufacturer Krell.

With Hyundai Smart Sense active safety and driving assistance systems, the Kona is one of the safest vehicles in its segment, proven by a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. The list of available safety features includes Forward Collision Warning, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian detection, Lane Keeping Assist, High Beam Assist with Static Low Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Blind-Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning. — SG