Hyundai’s Kona Electric is taking a brief break — but it’s not going away.
The compact EV will skip the 2026 model year, with Hyundai confirming that production is being paused temporarily while the company works through existing inventory of 2025 models. According to a Hyundai spokesperson, there’s currently “adequate stock” of the 2025 Kona Electric to meet consumer demand, making a short production halt the most practical move for now.
The good news for fans of the Kona EV is that this pause comes with a clear return plan. Hyundai says production will resume in June, with the electric SUV re-entering the lineup as a 2027 model year. In other words, this isn’t a cancellation — it’s more of a strategic reset.
The timing isn’t surprising. Like much of the industry, Hyundai has felt the effects of the US federal EV tax credit expiring at the end of September. That change pulled a lot of demand forward and left a softer market in the months that followed. Hyundai Motor North America CEO Randy Parker previously described the situation as a temporary disruption, suggesting the EV market needs time to rebalance.
Recent sales numbers reflect that mixed picture. While Hyundai overall set a January sales record in the US, its EV lineup told a more uneven story. IONIQ 5 sales dipped slightly, IONIQ 6 volumes fell sharply, and the new three-row IONIQ 9 is still in the early stages of its rollout. Hyundai doesn’t separate Kona sales by powertrain, but total Kona sales — including gas and hybrid versions — actually rose year over year, showing that the nameplate itself remains strong.
Industry-wide, Hyundai isn’t alone. Volkswagen is also skipping the 2026 model year for the ID.Buzz, and Kia has delayed several US-bound EVs amid tariffs and policy uncertainty. At the same time, sightings of camouflaged Kona prototypes in South Korea suggest something bigger is coming, potentially a full redesign inspired by Hyundai’s recent Crater Concept.
My take: this pause feels less like retreat and more like preparation. Rather than pushing an aging EV into a choppy market, Hyundai appears willing to wait, refresh the product properly, and return with a Kona Electric that’s better aligned with where the EV market is heading — not where it was two years ago.
