With a new bodyshell, new engines and fresh, bold styling that introduces a new kind of dynamic aesthetics, the latest Kia Sportage is an urban-friendly compact SUV for today’s families – consuming less fuel and emitting less CO2.

Longer, wider and lower than the previous model - by 90 mm, 15 mm and 60 mm respectively - the all-new design successfully retains the key SUV features – a commanding driving position, heightened sense of security and powerful road presence – that made the second-generation Kia Sportage so popular.

The second-generation Sportage was introduced in 2004 and marked a huge step forward for Kia. Over the next six years, it attracted thousands of new customers to Kia, and achieved global sales of more than 860,000 units – including 150,000 units in Western Europe.

Now, under the direction of Kia’s Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer, the Kia design teams have created a third-generation Sportage incorporating Kia’s new design DNA and many features from the 2007 Kia Kue concept car, to be immediately identifiable and to stand out from potential rivals in an increasingly crowded segment.

"With the all-new Sportage, we have created a five-seat compact SUV with maximized customer appeal. It is urban-friendly and fully in tune with changing consumer expectations and demands," said Hyoung-Keun Lee, President, Kia Motors Corporation.

"Despite the recent and ongoing global economic difficulties, Kia’s market research indicates that demand for C-segment SUVs in Europe will grow steadily over the next five years as customers down-size their vehicles and new models focus attention on the segment.

"Customer response to the new Sportage in Europe has been entirely positive and we are confident that our latest model will significantly increase Kia’s share of the compact SUV market," concluded Mr Lee.

New Sportage has an aerodynamic drag figure of Cd 0.37 - down from 0.40 - and a reduction in weight of 91 kg compared with the previous model enhancing fuel economy and refinement.

(PR/GK)