The federal government’s move to resuscitate the automobile industry in the country got a huge boost with the unveiling of the 2015 made in Nigeria Sorento by Kia Motors.
According to the firm, the KIA Sorento is redesigned with a sleeker, more sculpted exterior and exudes sophistication with an edge, highly stylized, modern utility vehicle with improved handling and dynamic power coupled in Nigeria.
The Korea-based manufacturer explained that the new KIA Sorento is a stylish and practical Sport Utility Vehicle with exceptional versatility. The smoother, swept-back profile and deeply sculpted surfaces give the Kia Sorento a lithe, elegant appearance. Its spacious interior follows the horizontal lines of the overall design concept and delivers a luxurious look and sense with top-quality materials throughout the cabin.
The new Kia Sorento which comes with seven seats has a longer wheelbase specifically made for Nigerian roads and provides more passenger room than its predecessor. The luggage area is larger, with sliding, 60:40-split seat row it is more versatile, holding up to 1,732 litres. The Kia Sorento has a powerful and efficient 270 ps engine with four-wheel drive fitted with Kia’s new Dynamax™ All-Wheel-Drive system with torque vectoring.
It has a High-tech specification ranging from premium features including the rear camera and smart parking system that makes it easy to manoeuvre and park. Smart Key entry with Push Button Start makes it outstandingly easy to get in and drive the sporty Sorento.
The interior has a Mood lamp, led combination rear lamp and illuminated Door Scuff which gives feeling of luxury over a SUV ride. Speaking at the official launch in Lagos Motor Fair, Chief Commercial Officer, KIA Motors Nigeria, Sandeep Malhotra said, with the availability of Dynamax™ All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system, Sorento delivers a smooth, refined drive even on rough roads.
The third generation Sorento Sport Utility Vehicle SUV received the ‘Top Safety Pick’ award by achieving a ‘Good’ rating in every one of the IIHS’s demanding tests. According to him, this is the latest accolade from a globally-respected crash safety organization; the new Sorento has already been awarded the maximum five star crash safety rating by EuroNCAP.
The car’s passenger compartment came in for particular praise for remaining stable in the event of a collision, and offering good protection for passengers of different physiques, no matter where they were seated in the car. “The all-new Kia Sorento is among the safest models in its class andreceived accolade from IIHS a highly respected vehicle safety institution. We’ve gone to great lengths to enhance every aspect of Sorento, with active and passive safety systems a top priority.
“The new Sorento is engineered to guarantee a perfect experience for teeming users without compromising on the carbon footprint to reduce on environmental impact throughout the period of ownership. It has become the latest Kia model to achieve internationally recognized certification for its whole-life impact on the environment”, he said. TÜV Nord, a leading independent technical inspection organization, has certified the new Kia Sorento according to the ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) standard.
LCA forecasts the environmental impact of a vehicle during its full life, as well as a wide range of development and manufacturing factors – including raw material extraction, pre-production testing and the efficiency of factory facilities.
Comparing the new Sorento to its predecessor, the mid-size sports utility vehicle improved its ‘Photochemical Oxidants Creation Potential’ (POCP) by nearly 13 per cent. POCP measures the amount of smog created by a vehicle’s manufacturing process and by the vehicle itself throughout its life. Also speaking at the launch, Assistant Manager, Events & Public Relations KIA Motors Nigeria, Olawale Jimoh stated that KIA Motors assembles 25 vehicles per day and it is targeted at producing 25,000per annum.
“Aside from Sorento, there are other main scheme models comprising of Serato, Sportage, Kia Quoris, Picanto, Rio, Sorento, Optima are all assembled in Nigeria. “Other unique feature that makes the Sorento stands out is its 6 speed automatic drive and a touch screen sound system with six premium surrounding speakers.
The car is actually made to fit into the climate condition of Nigeria and because of the highly density population in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt and other cities in Nigeria where you have heavy traffic, the Sorento has an Eco Mode which helps to minimize fuel consumption, he said.
The new model’s standard-fit Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system ensures the car remains stable when simultaneously braking and cornering, particularly on low-grip surfaces, by carefully controlling both the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and electric motor-driven power steering.
Both systems are activated as soon as the car’s sensors detect a loss in traction, helping the driver to remain safely in control of the vehicle.
