Aussie launch not yet locked in, but interest high for plug-in hybrid version of Kia’s new Sportage
The 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV has been officially revealed in the US overnight, sporting the same 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid powertrain as the bigger Kia Sorento PHEV and looking increasingly likely for an Australian launch.
That’s the latest word from Kia Australia, but would-be customers shouldn’t expect to see the plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV until the latter stages of this year or even early 2023.
“These things take time,” a spokesperson told carsales today.
“As previously mentioned, Kia Australia is keen to introduce an electrified variant – or variants – to the Sportage range.
“Based on the success of [Toyota] RAV4 Hybrid, yes there is a lot of interest and demand therefore we see a big opportunity for Sportage to provide an offering in this segment.”
Visually identical to the rest of the Sportage range, the new PHEV is powered by a 132kW/264Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine in tandem with a 67kW electric motor, the latter drawing power from a 13.8kWh lithium polymer battery.
In the Kia Sorento PHEV, the powertrain develops a combined 195kW/350Nm, however Kia is yet to lock in a combined figure for the Sportage PHEV.
Transmission duties are similarly handled by a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.
The Sportage plug-in hybrid has a claimed electric-only driving range of up to 51km, and while Kia hasn’t released fuel consumption figures, the bigger and heavier Sorento PHEV sips a claimed 1.6L/100km on the WLTP cycle.
Kia North America said in a statement that fuel economy ratings would be announced closer to the vehicle’s on-sale date.
Australian-specific details are yet to be confirmed, however given the North American version has debuted in top-spec X-Line and X-Line Prestige form, Aussie-bound cars are likely to ship exclusively in GT-Line spec as per the Sorento PHEV.
At $80,330 plus on-road costs, the Sorento PHEV also comes with a hefty $15,260 price premium over the diesel GT-Line. If the same holds true for Sportage, the PHEV version would start from $67,630 plus ORCs.
A series/parallel (non-plug-in) hybrid version of the Sportage is also under evaluation by Kia Australia, but similarly there’s no firm launch timing at this stage.
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Keyword: Kia Sportage PHEV detailed