Kia launches Sorento at ₹28 lakh; targets 30% EV, hybrid sales by 2030
The Sorento is Kia's first hybrid SUV for India, and the brand's entry into a new premium three-row SUV segment which accounts for roughly 45,000 units of India’s 48 lakh passenger vehicle market.
- Sep 4, 2026,
- Updated Sep 4, 2026 4:39 PM IST
Kia India on Friday launched the Sorento hybrid with prices starting from Rs 29.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Prices of the diesel variant begin at ₹27.99 lakh.
The Sorento is Kia's first hybrid SUV for India, and the brand's entry into a new premium three-row SUV segment which accounts for roughly 45,000 units of India’s 48 lakh passenger vehicle market.
Kia's flagship SUV will also be available in a diesel powertrain, giving customers the freedom to choose between strong hybrid and diesel based on their individual driving and ownership needs.
“We are introducing Sorento with diesel and strong hybrid variants. We are giving options to the customers. From a strong hybrid perspective, we feel that we have good scope to grow in times to come,” Atul Sood, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Kia India, told BT in an interview.
Sood expects the D-SUV segment to grow from 45,000 units currently to 100,000 by 2030.
On being asked about the slowdown in strong hybrid sales in India, Sood said the number of hybrid models today are far less than the number of EV models. While there are as many as 26 mass market EV models on sale in India, only five strong hybrid vehicles are on sale — mostly by Japanese players.
“The strong hybrid segment will grow in terms of contribution to the passenger vehicle market over time. We feel the contribution would be on par to what BEVs would contribute,” said Sood.
“Our projection is that BEVs will be about 15% of the market by 2030, a similar percentage would be that of strong hybrids,” he added.
Kia India is following a multi-powertrain pathway, much like its Japanese and Korean peers.
“Our approach would be a multi-powertrain approach. CNG, ICE, strong hybrid and BEVs. We want to give all the options to the customers. We are not pushing a specific powertrain to the customer,” said Sood.
On lower taxation of strong hybrid vehicles, Sood said it is something which the government has to decide. “If we get less tax, then we are more than happy,” he said.
Beyond strong hybrids, Kia India is also examining the feasibility of plug-in hybrid vehicles of PHEVs for the Indian market.
“We are studying all options, including plug-in hybrids. It’s just that we don’t feel it is the right time to bring plug-in hybrids,” he said.
Kia India is also weighing a plug-in hybrid trim of its popular mid-size SUV, the Seltos.
“Our intent is to bring in a strong hybrid for the Seltos,” said Sood. “It will happen once we are in a position to localize the technology and get it a competitive price without any compromise on technology,” he explained.
Currently, diesel vehicles account for 30% of Kia’s sales in the country while the rest comes from petrol and EVs.
Sood said the Kia Syros EV will help the automaker in improving its EV tally. “EV numbers will grow. Give us a few months. Retails of the Syros EV started from the end of July,” he said. According to him, Kia has an edge in EVs because EV customers are much more feature conscious.
Kia India on Friday launched the Sorento hybrid with prices starting from Rs 29.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Prices of the diesel variant begin at ₹27.99 lakh.
The Sorento is Kia's first hybrid SUV for India, and the brand's entry into a new premium three-row SUV segment which accounts for roughly 45,000 units of India’s 48 lakh passenger vehicle market.
Kia's flagship SUV will also be available in a diesel powertrain, giving customers the freedom to choose between strong hybrid and diesel based on their individual driving and ownership needs.
“We are introducing Sorento with diesel and strong hybrid variants. We are giving options to the customers. From a strong hybrid perspective, we feel that we have good scope to grow in times to come,” Atul Sood, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Kia India, told BT in an interview.
Sood expects the D-SUV segment to grow from 45,000 units currently to 100,000 by 2030.
On being asked about the slowdown in strong hybrid sales in India, Sood said the number of hybrid models today are far less than the number of EV models. While there are as many as 26 mass market EV models on sale in India, only five strong hybrid vehicles are on sale — mostly by Japanese players.
“The strong hybrid segment will grow in terms of contribution to the passenger vehicle market over time. We feel the contribution would be on par to what BEVs would contribute,” said Sood.
“Our projection is that BEVs will be about 15% of the market by 2030, a similar percentage would be that of strong hybrids,” he added.
Kia India is following a multi-powertrain pathway, much like its Japanese and Korean peers.
“Our approach would be a multi-powertrain approach. CNG, ICE, strong hybrid and BEVs. We want to give all the options to the customers. We are not pushing a specific powertrain to the customer,” said Sood.
On lower taxation of strong hybrid vehicles, Sood said it is something which the government has to decide. “If we get less tax, then we are more than happy,” he said.
Beyond strong hybrids, Kia India is also examining the feasibility of plug-in hybrid vehicles of PHEVs for the Indian market.
“We are studying all options, including plug-in hybrids. It’s just that we don’t feel it is the right time to bring plug-in hybrids,” he said.
Kia India is also weighing a plug-in hybrid trim of its popular mid-size SUV, the Seltos.
“Our intent is to bring in a strong hybrid for the Seltos,” said Sood. “It will happen once we are in a position to localize the technology and get it a competitive price without any compromise on technology,” he explained.
Currently, diesel vehicles account for 30% of Kia’s sales in the country while the rest comes from petrol and EVs.
Sood said the Kia Syros EV will help the automaker in improving its EV tally. “EV numbers will grow. Give us a few months. Retails of the Syros EV started from the end of July,” he said. According to him, Kia has an edge in EVs because EV customers are much more feature conscious.