Kia, through its Philippine distributor Columbian Autocar Corporation (CAC) is the first Korean carmaker to announce their new vehicle prices taking into account the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law. Taking effect last Monday, January 15, 2018, prices have, surprisingly, remained stable.

Though Kia’s post-TRAIN prices did go up, the increases are moderate—ranging from as little as 1.5 percent to 5.7 percent. As expected, vehicles in the P 1.4-million to P 2-million were heavily hit. In the case of Kia though, that means just one model: the Kia Sportage 2.0L 4x2 SL Diesel which sees a 5.73 percent increase (from P 1,395,000 to P 1,475,000). Meanwhile, popular models such as the Picanto and Rio are up, but only slightly at 1.4 to 2.37 percent.

Moving upmarket, the Grand Carnival 7-seater variants stay put in price even after the implementation of the new excise tax (P 2,245,000 and P 2,545,000 for the leather variant). Only the 11-seater variant sees a small increase of P 15,000 to P 2,110,000.

The most intriguing bit of news though is for the Sorento. It seems a midcycle refresh of Kia’s flagship 7-seater SUV is on the way, and that model will trickle into showrooms by the middle of February.

Originally launched in 2016 alongside the Grand Carnival, the 2018 Sorento retains its 2.2-liter diesel engine that generate an even 200 horsepower and 441 Nm of torque. It does get a new 8-speed automatic that promises to make it even smoother and more efficient. By dropping its all-wheel drive drivetrain (and likely some luxury features along the way), this model will bow in at P 1,895,000—similarly priced to popular mid-sized pickup-based SUVs (PPVs).