Kia Sorento price reduced to under 800 million - a tough battle with Fortuner

The cheapest Sorento price is 789 million while Fortuner starts at 981 million. Sorento's cumulative sales since the beginning of the year are less than one month of its competitor.

Kia announced in October that it would reduce the price of the cheapest version of the Sorento, the 2WD GAT, by 26 million, from 815 million to 789 million. With the physical insurance incentive, the cost for customers is only about 780 million, not including the road tax.

Sorento has established a new price base in an unusual way. Sorento is now cheaper than CX-5 (lowest version 790 million). While CX-5 is only in the same segment as its younger brother Sportage, a crossover line that Truong Hai stopped distributing in Vietnam since 2016.

Setting a low price is the only way for Sorento to sell more cars, stimulate demand as the year ends, and prepare for a more unpredictable battle in 2018.

The price of Sorento is several hundred million cheaper than its rival Fortuner, but the sales are the opposite. By the end of 9 months of 2017, Kia sold 1,109 Sorento cars, while its rival Toyota sold 11,547 Fortuner cars. In September alone, 1,267 Fortuner cars were sold, more than the Sorento sold since the beginning of the year.

Sorento price reduced to under 800 million.

In the same D-segment SUV segment, Fortuner has a bigger brand advantage. Toyota's model is known for its durability, higher ground clearance, and practicality in running on mountainous terrain. However, it lacks safety technology, and electronic stability control was only available for the higher versions in 2017. Sorento has many amenities, but does not have a 4-wheel drive version, a technology often expected on SUVs.

In this battle, not only Sorento, Santa Fe but also famous pure SUVs like Ford Everest will find it difficult to surpass Fortuner in terms of sales. For Vietnamese customers, features are not the most important factor in deciding to buy a car. They are also influenced by usage costs, brand strength, and resale value.

According to VNE