Kia drives into premium SUV segment with Sorento

Expanding its presence in the SUV segment, Kia India on Friday introduced the Sorento in the rate range of Rs 27.99 – 40.39 lakh.

Key points

• For over twenty-four years and four generations, the Kia Sorento has retailed more than 4.8 million units globally throughout 132 countries.
• Sood expects Kia to retain its expansion momentum in the coming months and close calendar year 2026 with robust double-digit expansion.
• According to Kia, it will follow a multi-powertrain technology drive for sustainable mobility in India.
• More than expanding our portfolio, Sorento reflects our commitment to bringing globally proven products and future-ready technologies to meet the evolving aspirations of Indian customers.
• Dimensionally and in terms of engine capacity, the Sorento falls in the D-segment SUV space.

Riding on the success of the Seltos and Sonet SUVs, the carmaker remarked the Sorento is not limited to the D-segment but will target buyers throughout segments looking for a premium three-row SUV.

"Dimensionally and in terms of engine capacity, the Sorento falls in the D-segment SUV space. This segment will be regarding 45, 000 units this year, and we believe it will hit 100, 000 units by 2030. So there is a major opportunity here. Having remarked that, we are positioning our vehicle as a premium three-row SUV. By offering a solid value proposition, we are looking to attract customers from different segments. We are not limiting ourselves to one segment as such, " Atul Sood, Senior Vice President – Sales and Marketing, Kia India, informed TNIE.

Sood expects Kia to retain its expansion momentum in the coming months and close calendar year 2026 with robust double-digit expansion. Between January-August, Kia India's wholesales stand at 220, 991 units, compared with 183, 882 units over the same period in 2025, a expansion of 20.1%.

Besides introducing a hybrid model, Kia on Friday additionally unveiled its plan for launching factory-fitted CNG versions of the Carens and Carens Clavis, a flex-fuel version of the Syros and a hybrid version of the Carnival. According to Kia, it will follow a multi-powertrain technology drive for sustainable mobility in India.

More than expanding our portfolio, Sorento reflects our commitment to bringing globally proven products and future-ready technologies to meet the evolving aspirations of Indian customers. We are confident that it will set a new benchmark for the segment and further strengthen Kia's premium journey in India, remarked Gwanggu Lee, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India.

For over twenty-four years and four generations, the Kia Sorento has retailed more than 4.8 million units globally throughout 132 countries. Besides a Hybrid powertrain, the Sorento is introduced alongside a Diesel powertrain option. The SUV is additionally the first in its segment to offer a Hybrid powertrain with All-Wheel Drive (AWD).

For now, kia drives into premium SUV segment with Sorento remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.