What's the news?
Hyundai is going to launch a new compact SUV that will join its Irish line-up beneath the existing Tucson and Santa Fe products. This newcomer will be called the Kona.
Designed to fit into a class occupied by the likes of the Ford EcoSport, Opel Mokka X, Suzuki Vitara and forthcoming SEAT Arona, Hyunai's offering is said to have a 'progressive style that reflects the lifestyle of modern customers'.
The Kona is technically the fourth European SUV for the Korean marque, but we don't get the enlarged Grand Santa Fe here in Ireland.
Hyundai is aiming to become the leading Asian automotive brand in Europe by 2021, launching 30 new models and derivatives in between now and then. The Kona should further back up the excellent sales performance of the Tucson and the Santa Fe, the latter of which has sold more than 1.4 million units since launching in 2001.
Anything else?
So, the name - you might be thinking Hyundai has abandoned its philosophy of naming its SUVs after places in the United States of America, but that's not so. Kona is actually a district on the 'Big Island' of Hawaii, and it was chosen because of the Pacific island's 'energetic image and unique lifestyle' which is said to match the Hyundai Kona's 'dynamic character'.