Hyundai Kona Hybrid Spied With Aero-Style Wheels, Bigger Infotainment Screen

Hyundai currently offers the Kona crossover with internal combustion engines or an all-electric powertrain.

There’s something missing in-between those two types of propulsion and Hyundai knows it. Not only that, but it’s also working on filling the gap with a Kona hybrid model as these spy shots prove. Snapped in Germany, the prototype wears a full body wrap, as if Hyundai were testing an all-new model.

However, the hybrid version will carry over most of the design features from the regular Kona and add some “hybrid-flavored” details on top. Those are expected to include a new grille, slightly revised bumpers, and the aero-style alloys the prototype is already sporting.

Curiously, this Kona hybrid prototype also has its dashboard completely covered, although we can see that the infotainment screen is much bigger than on regular Konas. This should hint at an upgrade of the interface, which no longer has physical buttons on each side of the screen. The controls have become smaller in the process and have moved to the bottom of the display. Currently, an 8-inch screen is the biggest one available in the Hyundai Kona.

How do we know this is a hybrid, you ask? Well, our photographers told us the car was fueled up with gasoline but drove away from the gas station in electric mode.

The obvious question now is whether this is a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid vehicle. If it were a PHEV, it should have a charging port on the left front fender where Hyundai and Kia usually place it. However, it doesn’t so unless the port is somewhere else hidden under the black camouflage material, we’re inclined to believe this is a self-charging hybrid.

Whatever the case, it should feature the same powertrain from the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid or Plug-in Hybrid.