2023 Author: Charles Youmans | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-20 18:41
As you know, Kia has released several modifications of the Sorento crossover, including a hybrid version. The latter will soon enter the American market, and it has been on sale in South Korea for over a month. But the hybrid Sorento will not come to Russia. Kia representatives explained why the company refused to leave this crossover option to our country.
The main reason for the decision is the low demand for plug-in hybrid vehicles in Russia. Kia representatives emphasized that such cars in our country are bought less often than electric cars. The second reason voiced is the lack of sufficient infrastructure for such vehicles. Perhaps in the future, when the situation in Russia changes due to the need to expand stations for recharging batteries, Kia will reconsider its decision.
Representatives of the Korean concern also voiced a third possible reason why the brand refused to supply the hybrid Sorento to our country. The fact is that in Russia there is an insufficient number of qualified personnel capable of servicing such cars. That is, in fact, the owners of the hybrid Sorento will be forced to repair the crossover on their own in the event of a breakdown. At the same time, it should be noted that such a model is very expensive. And if you consider that for an ordinary Sorento they ask about 2.5 million rubles (and the top versions are estimated at over three million), it turns out that the demand for a hybrid crossover would be very low.
Recall that the Korean model with this setup is based on a 1.6-liter turbo engine, which is combined with one electric motor. The aggregate output of this unit reaches 261 hp.