Kia Sorento Enters Production in India Ahead of September Launch

Kia India has released the first official images of the Sorento, its upcoming three-row SUV, as production of the model has begun at the company's Anantapur facility on Thursday. The Sorento will be launched in India on September 4, with bookings already open through dealerships and the automaker's website.

The car marks Kia's entry into the premium three-row SUV segment in India, a space populated by the Toyota Fortuner, Škoda Kodiaq, MG Majestor, Volkswagen Tayron, and Jeep Meridian. It also represents a shift in strategy for Kia, which has so far built its India volumes around the Seltos and Sonet in the mid-size and compact SUV segments.

According to the company, the Sorento will be offered with a hybrid powertrain paired with all-wheel drive, a combination it says is a first for any Kia model sold in India, alongside a diesel option. Kia has not disclosed powertrain specifications for the India-spec car, though the global version uses a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol strong-hybrid system rated at close to 238bhp, alongside a 2.2-litre diesel engine producing around 202bhp internationally. Both are expected to be offered with automatic transmissions, though Kia is yet to confirm final outputs or whether AWD will be available across both powertrains for India.

The Sorento will also introduce what Kia describes as Live Generative AI, a conversational assistant capable of drawing on real-time information rather than relying on pre-set voice commands. Kia has called this a global first for the Sorento nameplate, and the first such technology in the Indian car market, though these remain claims made by the company rather than independently verified.

Anantapur has served as Kia's manufacturing base in India since 2019, and the Sorento's local assembly there underlines the company's continuing localisation push even as it moves upmarket. Pricing has not been announced, though industry estimates place the SUV anywhere between ₹30 lakh and ₹45 lakh, depending on variant and equipment, positioning it above Kia's existing lineup and closer to premium rivals.

"The Sorento has long stood as a global symbol of Kia's SUV leadership, earning the trust of customers across international markets," said Gwanggu Lee, managing director and chief executive of Kia India. "With the first locally produced Sorento rolling off the production line at our Anantapur facility today, we are taking an important step in bringing this flagship SUV to Indian customers."

The launch comes as premium SUV demand continues to hold up in India even as overall passenger vehicle growth has moderated, with buyers increasingly willing to pay for three-row practicality, all-wheel drive capability and hybrid efficiency in a single package. Whether the Sorento can carve out volumes in a segment still dominated by the Fortuner will depend heavily on how Kia prices it when full details emerge next month.