Hyundai The All New KONA Hybrid 2024

[JaneHodt]

Hi everyone, anyone bought recently? Can share how much you were paid and the freebies you got? Also if got good Sales rep can share? Planning to get the Elite variant

[Kicke]

Hello, interested to know if there are good sales consultant to intro? Able to pm me the price that you bought the loan too?  Thanks in advance.

[steveting99]

On 1/6/2025 at 7:23 PM, Kicke said:

Hello, interested to know if there are good sales consultant to intro? Able to pm me the price that you bought the loan too?  Thanks in advance.

If you're considering the Hyundai Kona hybrid, would also seriously look at Aion Y Plus EV. The back seat, tech and features of the Y Plus are head and shoulders above Kona. Believe Hyundai is in trouble competing with Chinese EV & Battery Co. Just my opinion and look closely at the cost / features to see which one comes out the winner.

Should test drive both before making a decision.

[Kicke]

On 1/6/2025 at 10:17 PM, steveting99 said:

If you're considering the Hyundai Kona hybrid, would also seriously look at Aion Y Plus EV. The back seat, tech and features of the Y Plus are head and shoulders above Kona. Believe Hyundai is in trouble competing with Chinese EV & Battery Co. Just my opinion and look closely at the cost / features to see which one comes out the winner.

Should test drive both before making a decision.

Thanks man. Keeping options open too.

[leftturn]

@steveting99 

Had the opportunity to sit in the Aion Y Plus during one of their roadshows at the end of last year. Thought there were better options if solely considering EVs.

As with any Chinese EVs, reliability (look at complaints in the user chat groups) and servicing/maintainence will be an issue despite the 10 year warranty gimmick by the authorized distributors.

People are looking at non-EV cars here instead of EVs for a reason. Perhaps owning an EV in a few years time will make sense as battery technology and charging infrastructure continues to develop. And for a entry-level hybrid crossover, this is hands down the best option in the market today.

 

 

Edited January 8 by leftturn

[steveting99]

@leftturn Aion's parent company is Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group) and the fifth largest vehicle manufacturer in China. GAC Group has JV with Toyota and Honda - so they know how to make good vehicles. 

Would think there's less maintenance of an EV compared to ICE. No engine or transmission gearbox.

Currently Singapore government is providing a $40k subsidy (in the form of reduced taxes) on going to EV. This is via the Vehicle Emissions Scheme (VES) and Electric Early Adoption Incentive (EEAI). Couple this with the features, back seat leg room, tech that Aion Y Plus offers over the Kona Hybrid - I believe one is getting a lot more for money spent. Individually one has to decide on the value for money between the Kona hybrid and Y Plus. SG Car Mart offers a comparison tool to check features between vehicles. 

Edited January 8 by steveting99
typo

[leftturn]

@steveting99 

Based on sharing in online groups who owned the Aion Y Plus in SG, a simple replacement part from something as easily damaged as the cladding took more than a month for the AD to requiste the most easily damaged parts. UI is buggy and with another individual sharing that climate controls could not be operated as their touchscreen hanged frequently. These are some of the many issues raised.

Not saying to avoid chinese EVs, but with so many chinese companies popping out of the blue and creating new joint ventures to get the share of the EV pie and undercutting each other, there's bound to be some trade-offs (cost vs quality). If their other business partnerships are of some assurance to you, then good for you.

Needed to requiste a part (due to damage arising from my carelessness) from Komoco earlier in the year, they had 3 out of the 4 parts needed in stock. The remaining was on expedited order and came in 2 working days. These are things you simply just can't get with many chinese EV ADs. 

Your EEAI and VES rebate, is simply returning your PARF rebate early for those intending to hold on to the car for 10 years or less. Not much of an incentive in totality. 

WLTP range of 430km, with many reporting around 300km-ish in the group rather, meaning I'll need to scramble for a charger every 3 or so days. Too disruptive to my lifestyle. I will consider EV in a few years with better battery technology (with range similar to current hybrids/ICE cars) and infrastructure, and hopefully from a reputable brand with longer operating history in developing and manufacturing cars.

 

 

 

Edited January 8 by leftturn

[13177]

On 1/8/2025 at 4:21 PM, leftturn said:

@steveting99 

Based on sharing in online groups who owned the Aion Y Plus in SG, a simple replacement part from something as easily damaged as the cladding took more than a month for the AD to requiste the most easily damaged parts. UI is buggy and with another individual sharing that climate controls could not be operated as their touchscreen hanged frequently. These are some of the many issues raised.

Not saying to avoid chinese EVs, but with so many chinese companies popping out of the blue and creating new joint ventures to get the share of the EV pie and undercutting each other, there's bound to be some trade-offs (cost vs quality). If their other business partnerships are of some assurance to you, then good for you.

Needed to requiste a part (due to damage arising from my carelessness) from Komoco earlier in the year, they had 3 out of the 4 parts needed in stock. The remaining was on expedited order and came in 2 working days. These are things you simply just can't get with many chinese EV ADs. 

Your EEAI and VES rebate, is simply returning your PARF rebate early for those intending to hold on to the car for 10 years or less. Not much of an incentive in totality. 

WLTP range of 430km, with many reporting around 300km-ish in the group rather, meaning I'll need to scramble for a charger every 3 or so days. Too disruptive to my lifestyle. I will consider EV in a few years with better battery technology (with range similar to current hybrids/ICE cars) and infrastructure, and hopefully from a reputable brand with longer operating history in developing and manufacturing cars.

 

 

 

Think the price for a Chinese EV and Korea EV, Korea EV price is more ex. Maybe this is why most people buy Chinese EV.

[leftturn]

@13177 @13177 yes if solely based on price. But this thread is on a Hybrid...

Edited January 9 by leftturn

[steveting99]

On 1/8/2025 at 4:21 PM, leftturn said:

@steveting99 

Based on sharing in online groups who owned the Aion Y Plus in SG, a simple replacement part from something as easily damaged as the cladding took more than a month for the AD to requiste the most easily damaged parts. UI is buggy and with another individual sharing that climate controls could not be operated as their touchscreen hanged frequently. These are some of the many issues raised.

Not saying to avoid chinese EVs, but with so many chinese companies popping out of the blue and creating new joint ventures to get the share of the EV pie and undercutting each other, there's bound to be some trade-offs (cost vs quality). If their other business partnerships are of some assurance to you, then good for you.

Needed to requiste a part (due to damage arising from my carelessness) from Komoco earlier in the year, they had 3 out of the 4 parts needed in stock. The remaining was on expedited order and came in 2 working days. These are things you simply just can't get with many chinese EV ADs. 

Your EEAI and VES rebate, is simply returning your PARF rebate early for those intending to hold on to the car for 10 years or less. Not much of an incentive in totality. 

WLTP range of 430km, with many reporting around 300km-ish in the group rather, meaning I'll need to scramble for a charger every 3 or so days. Too disruptive to my lifestyle. I will consider EV in a few years with better battery technology (with range similar to current hybrids/ICE cars) and infrastructure, and hopefully from a reputable brand with longer operating history in developing and manufacturing cars.

 

 

 

The nice thing about China EVs are the over the air updates. Hopefully owners are reporting back on the issues so that the army of software engineers at GAC Group can replicate what the problem is and squash the software bugs. Additional features can also be rolled out. Its similar to modern smartphones with the Android and iOS operating systems. Free updates to improve the user experience. Never going back to dumb phones where one is stuck with it.

Good luck in asking Hyundai to do the same for the Kona hybrid on fixing any software or user interface issues.

Aion Y Plus is new to the SEA market - though its been in production since 2021 in China. Kona has been in production since 2017, so its got five years head start - which means Hyundai has worked out the kinks much earlier compared to GAC Group. Surprisingly total number of Aion Y Plus units produced in 2023 (235,717) is still below below Kona total number of 290,632. The Aion Y Plus is catching up with Kona and suspect the 2024 numbers will be much closer.

The Anion Y Plus went on sale in SG in December 2024. Nevertheless, waiting over a month for part is too long and the AD (EV Hub) should have been beaten up for this. EV Hub is earning between $28.5k to $27.4k for every Aion Y Plus sold + agency fees and manufacturer incentives from GAC Group. EV Hub is making good money and if they can't provide good service to customers in Singapore, then GAC Group should consider passing the franchise over the causeway to WTC AUTOMOTIVE (under Tan Chong Group) who would be more than happy to earn the fat margins that EV Hub is getting - whilst providing better customer service. I'm sure the sales in Malaysia is going to be higher than in Singapore - so the parts availability should better. The Aion Y Plus owner who had this bad experience should complain direct to the principal of GAC Group and get an explanation.

The $40k immediate subsidy on an EV is real and that is money your pocket from day 0. Maybe I'm stupid, but I don't understand the logic of a dollar today is worth less than a dollar in 10 years from now when considering inflation is not even zero - let alone negative. Compare the price of your favorite beverage today vs. 10 years ago. Logical question to ask, does it cost more today than 10 years ago? The fallacy of trying to get a PARF high rebate. 

Using a smartphone requires a new routine compared to the dumb phone. The same can be said of an EV compared to the ICE dinosaur. An LFP battery (like the one in the Aion Y Plus) allows full 100% charge - so the trick is to do a top up charge when ever it's convenient. I.e. going to the shopping mall. The world's largest battery maker - Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) is now producing their million mile (1.5million km) battery. That means if one is driving 400km a day, seven days a week for the next 10 years, it would not exceed the warranty of CATL's million mile battery. This way beyond distance that any ICE can achieve - the engine and transmission would be gone way before then. Hyundai should be in fear of China EV and Battery Co.

[Gizmore]

On 1/8/2025 at 4:21 PM, leftturn said:

@steveting99 

Based on sharing in online groups who owned the Aion Y Plus in SG, a simple replacement part from something as easily damaged as the cladding took more than a month for the AD to requiste the most easily damaged parts. UI is buggy and with another individual sharing that climate controls could not be operated as their touchscreen hanged frequently. These are some of the many issues raised.

Not saying to avoid chinese EVs, but with so many chinese companies popping out of the blue and creating new joint ventures to get the share of the EV pie and undercutting each other, there's bound to be some trade-offs (cost vs quality). If their other business partnerships are of some assurance to you, then good for you.

Needed to requiste a part (due to damage arising from my carelessness) from Komoco earlier in the year, they had 3 out of the 4 parts needed in stock. The remaining was on expedited order and came in 2 working days. These are things you simply just can't get with many chinese EV ADs. 

Your EEAI and VES rebate, is simply returning your PARF rebate early for those intending to hold on to the car for 10 years or less. Not much of an incentive in totality. 

WLTP range of 430km, with many reporting around 300km-ish in the group rather, meaning I'll need to scramble for a charger every 3 or so days. Too disruptive to my lifestyle. I will consider EV in a few years with better battery technology (with range similar to current hybrids/ICE cars) and infrastructure, and hopefully from a reputable brand with longer operating history in developing and manufacturing cars.

 

 

 

1 month only...

Wait till you need parts for a French car. Today I was informed the steering rack replacement need 4-10 weeks. 

 

[Mkl22]

On 1/9/2025 at 11:47 PM, Gizmore said:

1 month only...

Wait till you need parts for a French car. Today I was informed the steering rack replacement need 4-10 weeks. 

 

How old? Just rebuild it. 

[leftturn]

@steveting99 

Bro, too much theory and hypotheticals. Since the average cars are to be used around 5 to 10 years, better to focus on actual user experience as of today instead of pondering over what is to happen in the future.

Talking about software, Hyundai new gen cars from the Kona have extremely refined software well integrated with the car compared to Japanese manufacturers. No need for OTA updates to fix anything as no issues with UI after a year of ownership, meaning they did their user acceptance testing well.

You compare this with the Aion Y Plus, which like many other Chinese products like their smartphones, are not tested and integrated well for local markets. So many portions of their UI in their tablet when I was testing it was bad direct translation from Chinese which was hard to understand, above many other unintuitive UI features. What quality do you expect from a first-gen product that is rushed to market?

As I said, I'm not saying to avoid chinese EVs, but to be cautious as of this moment. People are looking at Hybrids from your reputable brands with longer operating history for a reason. Many new Chinese EVs have entered the market over the past few years, and if you have any economic sense, many will go in the years to come. 

Kona Hybrid's Elite variant is a strong proposition for those wanting to transit to EV but are not willing to do so for reasons I've shared in this thread and the EV threads. You get a fine balance between futurism and practicality.

Large dual 12 inch displays in one piece with super responsive and modern UI, but yet you still have tactile physical buttons for climate and media controls and some customization options are allowed for the physical buttons. Relocating all essential features into the tablet is no-go for practical reasons, especially with frequent hanging reported by users.

Column type gear shifter behind your wheel which frees up the centre console area, as opposed to the floating centre console (in the Aion Y Plus and other EVs) which makes the interior feels cramped and divides you and your passenger (like what the Hyundai Avante did). Probably good if you're single or driving PHV, but it's not for a family person like me.

Definitely the cheaper EV car will sell more, economics in the budget car segment are very simple. But the more important question you should as yourself - can VINCAR support your after-sales with the increased demand, how much out-sourcing does it need to do and do you trust it's reliability as of now with limited experience? It might ultimately be good but I'm not paying 150k to test that out now. Komoco has never disappointed me, with quick turnaround time even for walk-in repairs without appointment.

Regarding the rebates, you misunderstood me. No need to make things too complicated. The premium spec costs 15Xk at current COE prices, while the elite variant costs 17Xk, making the price difference around 25k-ish. Minimum PARF rebate for the Kona at the end of 10 years would be around 14k, lowering the difference. Even without the PARF rebate, I'm only saving 25k and have to trade-off with the kinks of owning a Chinese EV, not enticing enough. Your annual bonus can cover this difference 😂

Edited January 9 by leftturn

[13177]

If want to buy a EV, i think would get korea EV than China EV. I still trusted Korea car than China car.

[leftturn]

On 1/10/2025 at 8:02 AM, 13177 said:

If want to buy a EV, i think would get korea EV than China EV. I still trusted Korea car than China car.

Exactly. I would pay the premium for an Ioniq 5 or even a KONA Electric just for the above-mentioned reasons (notwithstanding the limitations of EV in the current day).

Look at the number of BYD Atto 3 flooding the SGCarMart used car marketplace which have been used less than a year, compared to a new Honda, Toyota, Hyundai or Kia Hybrid. and BYD is the relatively more 'established' Chinese brand in Singapore. The sale of a newly bought car at the current COE climate, barring any personal reasons, speaks volumes on the car itself.

Aion Y Plus delivery started in May 2024, and the 7 months of owner experience shared in the telegram and online groups - I find more valuable than some theoretical intangible metrics on company size, business partnerships, sales volume etc. When your car breaksdown, you don't go - "eh! but Aion sales volume is growing and they have strong partnerships with Honda so all's good" in your head. You just want someone to fix your car ASAP.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by leftturn

[13177]

On 1/10/2025 at 9:37 AM, leftturn said:

Exactly. I would pay the premium for an Ioniq 5 or even a KONA Electric just for the above-mentioned reasons (notwithstanding the limitations of EV in the current day).

Look at the number of BYD Atto 3 flooding the SGCarMart used car marketplace used less than a year, compared to a new Honda, Toyota, Hyundai or Kia Hybrid. Speak volumes. 

Aion Y Plus delivery started in May 2024, and the 7 months of owner experience I find more valuable than some theoretical intangible metrics on company size, business partnerships, sales volume etc.

 

 

 

 

 

Despite many fairly new Atto 3 flooding the used car market, but there are still lots of people buying this car le. I still curious to know what is the reason behind. 

[Daniu82]

On 1/10/2025 at 9:41 AM, 13177 said:

Despite many fairly new Atto 3 flooding the used car market, but there are still lots of people buying this car le. I still curious to know what is the reason behind. 

Cheap cheap cheap lor. 

[leftturn]

@13177 

In the budget car segment, price and features on paper will drive sales. Some people can accept the trade-offs, some like me, can't.

But frankly, need to thank these people who buy EVs now, regardless of the brand. Over time company will grow, develop, get more experience, and develop better product and dealers will form better relationships with these manufacturers to provide us better after-sales service, which will be faster with higher sales volumes.

I will probably get an EV in the near future, from Chinese or Korean brand? Let's see in a few years time!

Edited January 10 by leftturn