2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid on sale in Australia next month, supply limited
Semiconductor shortages and high demand in Europe mean fewer than two dozen Kia Sorento Hybrids will reach Australia each month, once the SUV goes on sale in February.
The 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid family SUV will go on sale in Australia in mid-February – but, initially, supply will be extremely limited.
A year on from its original planned launch date, the Sorento Hybrid will reach Kia showrooms next month in flagship GT-Line trim only – with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive – as Kia’s rival for the Toyota Kluger Hybrid.
However, despite strong demand for hybrid family cars locally, industry-wide semiconductor shortages and high demand for CO2-busting hybrids in Europe (where strict emissions regulations apply) mean only 20 Sorento Hybrid examples are earmarked for Australia each month.
That compares to an average of 712 Toyota Kluger Hybrids sold since its launch in June 2021 – but exceeds the five to 10 examples imported each month of the more expensive Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid, also hampered by supply issues, rather than demand.
The Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid’s expected monthly tally of 20 examples represents approximately seven per cent of the 289 Kia Sorento sales reported in December 2021 – itself down on the 739 sold in the same month in 2020, due to stock shortages.
Mirroring the plug-in hybrid launched locally in September 2021, the Sorento Hybrid will initially be available in range-topping GT-Line guise only – the variant subject to the longest wait times in petrol and diesel forms – with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive, thanks to stock shortages preventing a more diverse range.
Kia product planners told Drive earlier this year: “We’d love to do a range of hybrids, but that’s just not practical. All we’re doing is creating problems for the dealer network by introducing more complexity when they can’t get cars. So at this stage, [it will be] top-of-the-range GT-Line only.
“Our intention for that is both a front-wheel-drive [model] and an all-wheel-drive [model].”
Powering the Kia Sorento Hybrid is a 132kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine – shared with the Sorento Plug-in Hybrid – mated to a 44kW electric motor and a 1.5kWh battery pack.
The system’s combined output sits at 169kW, sent to the front or all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. It’s estimated that combined fuel use will be rated at approximately 5.7L/100km in Australia (in front-wheel-drive form) – compared to 6.1L/100km for the all-wheel-drive diesel model.
Pricing for Australia is yet to be confirmed, however Kia has indicated the Sorento Hybrid will sit below the $82,990 drive-away Sorento GT-Line PHEV – but it’s expected to be more expensive than the $68,990 drive-away Sorento GT-Line diesel.
Stay tuned to Drive for all the latest on the 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid, as pricing and specifications are announced in the coming weeks, ahead of fort showroom arrivals in mid-February.
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