A facelift for the Hyundai Kona SUV – the Korean brand’s best-selling model in Australia – has reportedly been cancelled, with the company skipping it in favour of bringing the next generation to showrooms sooner.
Reports from The Korean Car Blog say the automaker won’t bring any further updates to the current ‘SX2’ Kona small SUV, which counts the Toyota Corolla Cross and Nissan Qashqai among its rivals.
It was the best-selling model for Hyundai Australia in 2025, and the best-selling small SUV, beating the Chery Tiggo 4 and MG ZS.
The current, second-generation Kona went on sale in Australia in 2023, meaning a facelift would typically be due sometime in 2026, given the previous generation was updated three years after its launch (2017–2020).
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Yet according to The Korean Car Blog, there won’t be a mid-life update ahead of 2028, when the next-generation ‘SX3’ is scheduled to arrive in showrooms. The report says the automaker has ditched its typical timeframe for facelifts.
Spy images on the site, sourced from Shorts Car, show what appears to be a bulkier, more angular and hard-edged SX3 Kona, which dispenses with the softer curves of the existing model and previous Kona prototypes spied testing.
It echoes design language seen in the 2025 Hyundai Crater Concept shown at the Los Angeles motor show, which featured aggressive lines and fuller mudguards for a more muscular, off-road-focused look.
There’s also a sloping roofline like that of the Crater Concept, with other elements including a new door-handle design, side skirts and an integrated roof spoiler carried over from the show car.
More angular designs have also been seen on the upcoming facelift of the entry-level Venue SUV and the boxy 2027 Tucson SUV as Hyundai rolls out its new Art of Steel design language, first seen on the second-generation Nexo.
The interior is also expected to include elements of the Crater Concept, while Shorts Car reports the new Kona will also run the Hyundai Motor Group’s new Pleos Connect infotainment system.
Powertrains are expected to include electric, hybrid and petrol options, in line with the existing Australian Kona lineup.
It’s unclear whether it could also be offered as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), given the brand’s broader move towards the technology, announced in 2024, which will also extend to luxury brand Genesis.
EREVs form part of a broader product strategy which will also see the Hyundai Motor Company launch more than 18 hybrid models across the Hyundai and Genesis brands by 2030, expand its N performance range, and launch a mid-size pickup for North America (with Australia on the cards).
The Hyundai Motor Company is targeting 5.55 million sales globally by 2030.