Kia PH to enter hybrid segment with Sorento PHEV?

After Carnival, Kia PH to launch Sorento PHEV next?

Kia Philippines has been busy as of late with the revamp of its model lineup. After rolling out their first EV with the EV6, Kia has gone on to introduce the refreshed Seltos, the Sonet that’s now making a big splash in the subcompact crossover segment, and recently they launched the new Carnival 7-seater MPV.

While their recent launches are proving to give an attractive proposition to customers, there’s still a vehicle missing from their lineup – a hybrid. But now, it looks like Kia is cooking something up on that segment.

We recently got hold of information that Kia Philippines has received regulatory approval for a passenger vehicle with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine with an exact displacement of 1598 cc. The numbers led us to the Smartstream G engine being used by both Kia and Hyundai. But with the mystery vehicle having a curb weight of 2241 kg, there’s good reason to believe that this could be a hybrid SUV - and that this could finally be the Sorento PHEV.

A few months ago, a well-placed source from Kia revealed to us that they are indeed preparing to introduce the Sorento PHEV to the market, which could very well be their first hybrid vehicle offering in the country. With this regulatory approval, Kia Philippines has basically already given the green light to sell the model here.

The Sorento PHEV shares its plug-in hybrid system with Hyundai’s Santa Fe. While official specifications are yet to be available, in other markets the Sorento PHEV produces 180 PS and 265 Nm of torque from its 1.6-liter turbo inline-four. Combined with an electric motor that’s run by a 13.8 kWh battery, the Sorento PHEV gives out 265 PS and 350 Nm of torque. The PHEV unit is then mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Currently, the top-spec 2.2-liter diesel variant of the Sorento is priced at over PHP 2.6 million. With the zero excise tax on hybrids, there’s a good chance that the Sorento PHEV could be priced lower than its Hyundai counterpart, the Santa Fe. Furthermore, the entire Sorento range could be given a refresh soon as Kia globally introduced a facelift last year.