I ordered my Kona Ultimate back 20th Jan 2022. It’s now in the country, and dealer says I can pick it up 20th Jan 2023 – exactly one year to the day. Considering the initial delivery time estimate was 5-6 months maximum, that’s some wait, but even back in January 2022, the number of electric vehicles on the scheme was plummeting, so at least Hyundai kept selling them to Motability longer than most manufacturers managed.
I mentioned the new model Kona, and the dealer said he can guarantee 100% that people who ordered the current Kona – before it was removed from Motability – will absolutely get that model, and NOT the basically brand new design of the “new” Kona. He’s worked with Motability & Hyundai for many years, and he said Hyundai won’t make the new electric Kona immediately available on Motability, that Hyundai will focus on retail sales for at least the first 6-12 months after launch, and will only make it available via Motability once they’ve made enough to meet retail demand, which has far, far higher margins than Motability. He also said the initial payment will be far higher, in the £3k-£4k range at best.
In my experience, Hyundai honestly couldn’t care less about Motability sales, at least for electric vehicles. They’ve flat out lied to me – in writing! – on at least 2 occasions.
The dealer agreed with me when I suggested that Hyundai are actively making Motability delivery times as long as possible, and providing terrible customer service, in order for customers to voluntarily cancel orders, thereby freeing up the vehicle to be sold at higher margins to their retail customers.
For what it’s worth, if you’ve ordered an electric Kona, my advice is to dig in and wait, if you possibly can. The price is very good, the car itself is excellent, and the alternatives are very few and far between. The chip shortages are just starting to unwind themselves, and the coming recession will put pressure on retail car sales, so I think Hyundai may start accelerating Kona electric deliveries, especially as they’re no longer selling it.