HYUNDAI is continuing its drive to lower vehicle emissions with upgrades to its range of Ioniq models and the introduction of a hybrid version of the Kona compact SUV.

The Kona hybrid uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine backed up by an electric motor to deliver 141ps and will be priced from £22,495 when it arrives in late September.

Officially it is rated at 56.5mpg with a CO2 figure of 90g/km and the powertrain will be available from SE trim onwards with prices topping out a £27,195 for high specification Premium SE models.

Performance figures are 0 to 60 acceleration in 11.6 seconds with a maximum of 115mph.

It is the same hybrid powertrain as Hyundai uses in the Ioniq and while boot space on the Kona is the same as other models in the range, the fuel tank has been reduced from 11 to eight gallons to accommodate the electrification.

On the Ioniq - the first car in the world to be available as a hybrid, plug-in and pure electric model - Hyundai is refreshing its looks with a redesigned grille, new bumpers and light clusters while the EV version gets a bigger battery increasing single charge range by 10 miles to 184 miles.

The new Ioniq line up will be available from early September and will be priced from £22,795 for a hybrid, £29,950 for the plug-in and £29,450 for the electric model after the Government grant for zero emission vehicles - increases of around £1,000 on the current hybrid models and some £2,500 for the EV.

All Ioniqs also get a new-look interior with upgraded trim, touch controls and a larger 10.25-inch display screen on all but the entry level car.

The regenerative braking facility on the electric model now allows single pedal driving and the regenerative function has also been improved on the plug-in which now has a purely electric range of up to 30 miles.

Fuel economy figures for the hybrid are now rated at 78.5mpg with emissions of 85g/km and 256.8mpg (26g/km) for the PHEV under the new WLTP testing programme.