Kia Motors is celebrating five million cumulative sales of its global best-selling Kia Sportage compact SUV.
In Ireland, the Sportage continues to be the brand’s biggest seller with 1,263 delivered to customers in January and February making it the eighth best overall selling new car model in Ireland this year.
Launched in 1993, and spanning four generations since, the Kia Sportage has achieved this milestone in the year of its 25th anniversary. The latest model, launched in 2016, is more popular than ever, with average global sales of 38,000 units per month in 2017.
Ho Sung Song, executive vice president of the global operations divison, says Kia will continue to produce new models of this successful SUV.
“The continued and accelerating popularity of the Sportage demonstrates the breadth of the car’s abilities and the strength of its appeal to buyers in markets all around the world.
“Since 1993, the Sportage has become a benchmark car in the compact SUV segment, and its success has also led to the creation of a diverse and comprehensive range of SUVs and crossovers from Kia – with other new models to follow in future.”
In 2016 and 2017, the Sportage surpassed the B-segment Rio as the brand’s global best-selling model. Strong sales of the Sportage in January and February 2018 – 36,632 and 32,930 units respectively – contributed to the model’s production landmark.
The fourth and current generation Sportage features a bold, progressive design, while offering greater practicality and an array of comfort, convenience and safety technologies. Its engine and transmission line-up also provides enhanced efficiency and performance to address a broad range of customer needs. More popular than ever, the one-millionth fourth-generation Sportage was sold in January, after just 29 months on- ale.
The Kia Sportage has historically been acknowledged for the strength of its design, having been awarded ‘iF Design’ and ‘red dot’ design prizes in both its third and fourth generations.
The Sportage also achieved the highest Euro NCAP five star safety rating in Europe.
