Battery assist with petrol back-up represents a new direction for KGM crossover.

ELECTRIC involvement has returned to a KGM sports utility that initially released in fully battery-wed product - but this time, a petrol engine also involves.

Supply of the Torres Hybrid, with a drivetrain that doesn’t involve a plug, has announced today.

The new powertrain delivers in front-drive and positions at $49,990 in base and $54,990 in a higher-provisioned Ultimate specification.

Those stickers are nominated as being special introductory prices, with no indication of how long they will last or what the full RRPs might eventually be.

The positioning makes these models more expensive alternates to a fully petrol version that has this year represented in $39,990 front-drive and $5000 dearer all-wheel-drive.

The fully electric EVX edition, on which KGM - previously known as SsangYong - pinned so much hope when the model launched in May of 2024, has latterly listed on the brand’s website, but without a price. At time of release it cost $66,990.

China’s BYD has provisioned the hybrid drivetrain, branded ‘e-DHT’ (Efficiency-Dual Motor Hybrid Transmission). Technical details that leaked mid-year confirmed today.

The system pairs a 120kW/280Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with in-series dual electric motors in a dedicated hybrid transmission.

The engine makes 220Nm in isolation, the electric side delivers 300Nm, but a combined figure is not given.

The motor draws power from a 1.83kWh BYD Blade LFP battery pack. A combined fuel use of 5.6 litres per 100km is claimed.

KGM says its set-up allows the car to seamlessly switch between electric-only, hybrid and engine-only power. This in turn allows it to be driven up to 94 percent of the time on battery power in urban driving conditions, KGM says.

At open road speed, the system blends engine and motor power “for confident acceleration and efficiency, with all-electric driving possible up to 100kmh, supported by a three-level regenerative brakingsystem with smart traffic-adaptive control.”

The HEV also features multiple regenerative braking modes and enhanced cabin quietness.

KGM NZ is run by Inchcape NZ, which also distributes Subaru here.

In October the operation said it signed off the new drivetrain as result of positive response to a concept version that displayed at Fieldays, the annual agriculture industry exposition in June that has become a quasi car show for the automotive industry.

Kym Mellow, who was then general manager of Inchcape New Zealand, said the hybrid would represents a pivotal step in KGM’s journey towards a ‘new energy vehicle’ future.

He said the advanced self-charging technology was up to deliver everyday electric driving without the plug-in compromise and would “make the version a must-have model

in the South Korean-born, future bound brand’s lineup.”

Mellow’s replacement, Jerry Delaney, today said: the car will relay as “a vehicle that turns heads without compromising on function.

“It’s great for drivers looking to save on fuel without blending into the crowd.”

The hybrid has a warranty spanning five years, or 100,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.