Kia Thaco, the Vietnamese arm of the Korean carmaker, has launched the locally-assembled Sorento.

The launch also marked the production of Kia's 30,000th vehicle in Vietnam. The Sorento becomes Kia's fourth CKD model to be launched in Vietnam, after the New Morning, Carens and Forte.

For the Vietnamese market, the Kia Sorento comes with a 2.4-litre DOHC Theta II engine developing 174 PS and 226 Nm of torque. The CKD Sorento has been priced (including VAT) at VND 894 million (US$ 43,000) for the 2WD MT, VND 933 million for the 2WD Auto and VND 975 million for the 4WD Auto.

Kia Thaco has also raised the production capacity of its plant from 20,000 units to 25,000 units per year.