Chennai: India's first electric SUV 'Hyundai Kona' was launched in a grand event by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday.
In a statement issued here by the state government, Palaniswami also had a ride in the electric vehicle.
According to the release, Hyundai Motor India and the state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 24.1.2019 whereby the company would invest Rs 7,000 crore for expansion and rolling out electric cars.
"It is a moment of pride to share that the KONA Electric - India's first fully electric SUV will be Made in Tamil Nadu from our State-of-the-Art Manufacturing Plant in Chennai," S.S. Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor was quoted a saying in a statement issued by the company.
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Vice President of production division at Hyundai Motor India Ltd Ganesh Mani said, "Due to the overwhelming support, up to 125 cars have been booked up till now. This is our company's three-month total production capacity."
Mani went on to add, "Two types of chargers including one portable charger was given which can fully charge the vehicle in five hours. Special charging centres would be set up in malls and theaters where the car could be fully charged in just 52 minutes."
He also said that Hyundai has requested to reduce the GST for electric cars from 12% to 5%.
Major Stats:
- Priced at Rs 25.30 lakh (ex-showroom, India)
- The car can travel 452 km on a single charge
- It is designed to reach 0 to 100 km/h in just 9.7 seconds
- The car will be sold by 15 dealers in 11 cities across the country
