Kia posts record US quarter; CGI shows 2028 Sorento

Kia America reported record September 2026 and best-ever quarter US sales, posting 77,000 units in September, up 18 percent year-over-year, and 236,659 units for the quarter, up eight percentage points, the company said.

"Kia America continues on the path to the brand’s fourth consecutive annual sales record," the news release said.

Eight models registered double-digit year-over-year growth: Seltos +66 percent, Niro +47 percent, K4 +43 percent, Telluride +42 percent, Sorento +37 percent, Carnival +21 percent, K5 +15 percent, and Sportage +10 percent.

Deliveries for the first nine months rose to 667,386 units versus 636,148 in the same period last year.

Kia is updating the Sorento for the 2027 model year. The gasoline variant receives minimal changes, including a new color; the hybrid adds a new X-Line trim; and the PHEV line is simplified to a single X-Line SX-Prestige.

The Sorento has sold just over 77,000 units year-to-date versus about 74,000 in the prior year.

Separately, the YouTube channel AutoYa Interior published unofficial CGI renderings of a potential fifth-generation Sorento. The channel’s host said the all-new model could arrive next year or in 2028 as a 2028 or 2029 model year, approximately a year after the introduction of the upcoming all-new Sportage.

The renderings propose a replacement for the MQ4 fourth-generation Sorento, introduced early 2020 and refreshed for 2024, and suggest design cues more akin to the LQ2 second-generation Telluride than the next Sportage.

In the unofficial images the front fascia shows vertical LED headlights and daytime running lights with a wide, slim grille. The profile alters the rear side window and D-pillar treatment, and the rear shows tall, slim LED taillights.

These images are unofficial CGI and do not represent confirmed Kia design or production details; Kia has not announced a launch date for a fifth-generation Sorento.