【Youth Daily】 Kia Motors’ representative mid-sized sports utility vehicle (SUV) Sorento is expected to record the highest annual sales in the domestic market this year.
This is analyzed as the influence of the popularity of the hybrid model as the preference of SUVs is high due to the so-called’car and lodging’ craze, and the interest in eco-friendly cars is growing.
According to the automobile industry on the 26th, Sorento sold 76892 units in the domestic market from January to November this year. Considering that the monthly average sales volume is 6990 units, the annual sales volume is expected to exceed 80,000 units, setting a record high.
Since its debut in 2002, Sorento has the highest annual sales volume of 8,715 units recorded in 2016.
The cumulative contract volume of Sorento this year has already exceeded 100,000 units in the middle of this month, reaching a record high.
This seems to be due to the recent popularity of SUVs due to the’car + lodging’ fever, and the growing interest in eco-friendly cars, and the Sorento hybrid model is gaining popularity.
Sorento hybrid model contracts are about 37,000 units, more than 35% of the total contracts.
Sorento Hybrid received a pre-contract last February, but it did not meet the government’s environmentally friendly certification standards, so it stopped selling and resumed the contract in early July. The average monthly contract volume for five months from the resumption of the contract is about 4600 units.
This high proportion of contracts also leads to sales volume. From January to November this year, the sales volume of Sorento Hybrid was 21,246 (27.6%), and more than one out of the four Sorento sold was a hybrid model.
In the case of the Grandeur Hybrid (35,634 units from January to November), the most sold hybrid vehicle in Korea, it accounts for 26.1% of the total sales of Grandeur. This means that the Sorento hybrid model has a higher proportion of sales.
An official from Kia Motors explained, “The 4th generation Sorento has the only hybrid lineup of domestic midsize SUVs, and the secret of its popularity is that it has the best-in-class interior space and the latest convenience and safety specifications.”
Although excluded from the eco-friendly car tax benefit, the Sorento Hybrid has a combined fuel economy of 15.3km/ℓ (5 passengers, 17-inch wheels, 2WD standard), and has a high fuel economy comparable to that of a compact car. Smartstream turbo hybrid engine is applied to demonstrate the power of the system’s maximum output of 230 horsepower and the system’s maximum torque of 35.7 kgf·m.
Sorento’s strong point is that it is a family SUV that is suitable for the latest trend of automobiles. The 4th generation Sorento is the first Korean mid-sized SUV to include a 6-seater, 2-row independent seat, which enhances the ride comfort of passengers in the second row, as an option, and applies a two-row one-touch walk-in and folding function, which is useful when there is a lot of cargo or when you are driving. Depending on the choice, the seat layout can be configured in various ways, with 5 to 7 seats.
【Youth Daily = Reporter Lee Seung-gu】