Kia Sportage PHEV detailed
Aussie launch not yet locked in, but interest high for plug-in hybrid version of Kia’s new SportageThe 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.
The regular hybrid version of the Kia Sorento has also been delayed.
Related: Kia Sportage S 2022 Review
Related: Kia Sportage – What you need to know
Related: Kia pushing hard for Sportage hybrid models
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