Hybrid SUV battle! 2023 Hyundai Kona is taking direct aim at popular Toyota Corolla Cross, Mazda CX-30 and GWM Haval Jolion thanks to new electrified option

Hyundai Australia believes the addition of a hybrid powertrain will be the key to the new Kona overtaking the likes of the Mazda CX-30 and Toyota Corolla Cross in the sales race.

The second-generation Kona will be available with the choice of three powertrains - petrol, electric and hybrid - with the latter introduced for the first time on this new model. The petrol-electric hybrid system pairs a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor for 104kW/265Nm.

While the Kona Hybrid won't go on sale until the final quarter of 2023, Hyundai Australia is confident that it will give the brand an answer to Toyota's popular Corolla Cross Hybrid, which reportedly accounts for more than half of all sales of the Japanese small SUV.

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A Hyundai Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide.com.au that the Corolla Cross and Mazda's CX-30 are the main target for the new Kona, with the brand hoping to lure customers from Toyota and Mazda showrooms in an increasingly tight sales battle in the small SUV market.

In 2022 the MG ZS was the best-selling model in the 'small SUV' segment with more than 22,000 sales. However, behind that the CX-30 (13,891) and Kona (11,538) dueled over second place, while the Corolla Cross only arrived late in the year.

Crucially for Hyundai, hybrid SUV sales were up 28.7 per cent in 2022 across the industry, so the hope is that by adding a hybrid option to the Kona range it will expand the appeal of this new model.

While the Kona Hybrid won’t go on sale until the final quarter of 2023, Hyundai Australia is confident that it will give the brand an answer to Toyota’s popular Corolla Cross Hybrid.

The spokesperson said that while the petrol-engine models have previously been the biggest sellers, the introduction of the hybrid should see that change. So much so that if supply isn't constrained in 2024, they predicted that the Kona Hybrid could make up as much as 60 per cent of all Kona sales by the end of next year.

In the short-term the new Kona will launch with its 2.0-litre and 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines in the middle of the year, with the hybrid and electric variants joining sometime in the final three months of 2023.