The facelifted Kia Sportage range won’t be joined by a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) option to compete with Mitsubishi and an increasing number of Chinese brands, as well as the next-generation Toyota RAV4, says the brand’s local product boss.
Speaking with CarExpert at the Australian media launch of the upgraded mid-size SUV, Kia Australia general manager for product Roland Rivero said the Sportage PHEV hasn’t been engineered for right-hand drive.
“As much as we’d love to throw [a PHEV] into say, a Sportage, we couldn’t justify the business case from a volume and business case perspective [for RHD], and therefore this generation won’t see a plug-in hybrid variant in Australia,” Mr Rivero said.
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Above: 2026 Kia Sportage facelift – Australian market
For now, Kia’s local division is ‘expanding’ its PHEV portfolio with additional variants of the larger Sorento PHEV beyond the current GT-Line flagship. However, it remains unclear how many new PHEV variants of the large SUV are coming.
Like the Sorento PHEV, the Sportage PHEV is powered by a familiar 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery back.
Total system output is rated at 200kW for the facelifted model in North America, and while electric range hasn’t been confirmed for the new version, the pre-update model in the US quoted around 50km of EV range from a 13.8kWh battery.
Note that we’ve used the North American Sportage PHEV as a reference since it’s the longer-body model similar to the vehicle sold in the Australian and Korean markets, as opposed to the shorter Slovakian-built version sold in Europe and the UK.
Interestingly, the long-body Sportage PHEV is built in Korea for the US, despite Kia America producing petrol variants in Georgia. The Sportage PHEV also isn’t sold in Korea, despite its local assembly.
Above: 2026 Kia Sportage facelift – Australian market
An increasing number of mid-size SUV rivals are adding PHEV options, led by Chinese brands and Mitsubishi.
The popular Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV was once a lone wolf in this space, but is now competing with everything from the BYD Sealion 6 and Mazda CX-60 to the Cupra Formentor and Jaecoo J7.
Chery will soon launch a Tiggo 7 Pro ‘SHS’ PHEV, and Toyota has confirmed the next-generation RAV4 Hybrid will be joined by a PHEV version in 2026. Leapmotor also has the C10 REEV (Range Extended Electric Vehicle) in this space.
PHEV sales continue to grow in Australia, outpacing those of all other powertrain types – albeit off a lower base. To May this year, 19,393 PHEVs have been registered – 208.1 per cent more than in the same January-May period in 2024.
MORE: Everything Kia Sportage