Kia stands by diesel for Sportage, Sorento, Carnival and Tasman

Kia Australia has declared that it will not “abandon diesel” on key model lines such as Sportage, Sorento, Carnival and the upcoming Tasman ute, pointing to strong buyer demand and a substantial percentage of sales for its current diesel-powered vehicles.

The reassurance comes as sister brand Hyundai slowly ushers diesel out of its local portfolio in favour of hybrid technology, specifically the new-generation Hyundai Santa Fe and facelifted Tucson model lines – although it’s expected to offer its own version of the Tasman diesel ute in future.

Other car-makers have also moved away from diesel for passenger cars and road-oriented SUVs, driven by the ever-tightening emissions regulations overseas that has prompted them to favour turbocharged petrol and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains, if not full-electric.

Kia Australia product planning general manager Roland Rivero has told carsales there was no need to abandon diesel in our market given the substantial sales it garners compared to petrol (and, where available, hybrid) versions of the Sorento, Sportage and Carnival.

Last year, diesel accounted for a whopping 86 per cent of total Sorento sales, 68 per cent of Carnival’s volume and 28 per cent of Sportage deliveries. In the first quarter of this year, the diesel skew for Carnival has risen to 87 per cent, while Sorento remains strong at 79 per cent and Sportage is running high at 37 per cent.

Rivero said there’s undeniably strong demand for diesels in Australia, with the fuel type’s popularity elevated by limited supply of petrol and hybrid Sorento and Carnival models stemming from North American, Korean and Middle East market prioritisation.

“Each product line is constantly being reviewed with each approaching product life milestone – that is, full model change, product enhancement or even model year change,” he said.

“At this current point in time, we don’t see a reason to abandon diesel on Carnival, Sorento or Sportage.

“We can’t say how long diesel will be around, but at this stage it isn’t going anywhere for the above product lines.

“We will continue to review our powertrains on an ongoing basis and optimise relative to market demand and the upcoming NVES [New Vehicle Efficiency Standard].

“Regarding HEV [hybrid] and PHEV [plug-in hybrid], we have said with the upcoming legislation there are no sacred cows, and we are reviewing all possibilities to reduce our carbon footprint across all vehicle lines.

“Our aim is to continue to offer a diverse range of products without the need to pay penalties, buy credits or pass on the penalty to our customers. The demand for diesel will vary by product line and segment.”

The upcoming Kia Tasman pick-up will feature a version of the Sorento’s well-established 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, although a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol and hybrid/EV powertrain options might also become available.

By already offering a range of EVs and hybrid cars, and rolling out more in the short-to-medium term, Kia Australia is well placed to avoid penalties under the federal government’s NVES (due to come into force on January 1, 2025) as the brand continues to offer higher-emitting diesel vehicles.

Kia Australia chief executive Damien Meredith told carsales earlier this month: “It [NVES] wouldn’t have changed a thing with Tasman, because we’re confident we can build up our credits in terms of what we sell from an EV point of view, and we’re confident that we’ll still be selling Picanto and the Cerato replacement [K4].”

Diesel will likely feature in the Sorento, Sportage and Carnival for the remainder of their respective current lifecycle – three to five years, depending on the model – while the Tasman should feature diesel well into next decade.

“The Kia ute, like many LCVs, will have a long model life. [It’s] not uncommon to see LCVs have a life in the vicinity of 10 years-plus,” Rivero said.

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