New Sorento uses high strength steel for better safety, ride: Kia

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest carmaker, said Tuesday it has used more high strength steel in its new Sorento SUV for better passenger safety and ride quality.

The company said 53 percent of the body frame uses lightweight but strong high tensile steel, up from 24 percent for the outgoing model.

The next generation Sorento, designated with the development code name of UM, is expected to be unveiled in Kia's home market in late August or September.

"The upgrade increases structural rigidity of the vehicle by over 10 percent, making it safer and more dynamic to drive," Kia said in a press release. The new version will be 90 millimeters longer from bumper-to-bumper and have a 80 mm longer wheelbase. It has been put through Germany's Nurburgring track to allow engineers to check and fine-tune the SUV's ride and handling characteristics.

"The car was subject to high speed cornering maneuvers, high RPM acceleration and other actions that cannot be tested elsewhere," the company said.

Kia and its larger corporate cousin Hyundai Motor Co. have been testing all of their new cars at the race track that is used by most of Europe's top automakers to examine vehicles prior to launch. Hyundai tested both the 2015 Genesis and seventh-generation Sonata at the German track.

Since its launch in February 2002, the Sorento has sold over 2.06 million units as of June, with the new model expected to further boost sales for Kia.

yonngong@yna.co.kr
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