Kia is expected to debut the all-new Sportage sometime next year as a 2022 model, but it seems China can’t wait. Making its debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show is the 2021 Sportage Ace.
The Sportage Ace takes on Kia’s new SUV design language first pioneered by the Mohave, Telluride, and Sorento. Like those two other SUVs, it gets a gloss-black tiger nose grille that connects to the headlights. The headlights themselves don’t look like any other Kia model though in that they get fang-like turn signal indicators.
At the back, the squared-off rear end gets upright LED taillights, and common among Mainland China SUVs, “SPORTAGE” lettering stretched out above a chrome strip. It even sports a rear diffuser with faux dual exhaust cutouts (the real one is a single exit located just above the bumper line).
At the sides, it’s very clear that the Sportage Ace uses a carryover platform. In this case, it shares its underpinnings with the current China market Hyundai ix35—a compact SUV that can trace its origins with the second-generation Tucson which debuted in 2009 (bonus fact: Hyundai sells both the current-generation Tucson and this ix35 in China side-by-side). Still, Kia managed to add some dose of off-road cred with chunky all-terrain tires.
Here’s where things get interesting. According to spy shots, the next-generation Sportage destined for global markets don’t look anything like the Sportage Ace. However, with Kia Philippines increasingly looking to China to source value-for-money models (see the Soluto and Stonic), they can probably do a Volkswagen (they have the same parent company, after all) and opt to bring in the Sportage Ace just like their German affiliate did so with the Tiguan.
If that’s the case, they can certainly do battle with the likes of the Ford Territory, another Chinese market SUV that crossed over to the Philippines. A quick gander at the Hyundai ix35’s engine line-up reveals that there’s one that shows promise: a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine making 130 horsepower.
If ever Kia PH sources out the new Sportage from China, please not this one. If I'm not mistaken, this particular version is just a reskinned 2011 model. Hyundai and Kia China have a habit of reskinning outgoing models and selling them alongside the newer international versions.
ReplyDeleteI hope the international version will look better. I don't find the front end attractive, but the side and rear looks decent. Even if the international versions will look better though, I have a feeling we'll get the Chinese version to keep it competitively priced.
ReplyDeleteI Thought that Sportage Ace will be only Exclusively Available in China i think the International Version of Next-Generation Kia Sportage will arrive here in the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteI Thought that Sportage Ace will be only Exclusively Available in China i think the International Version of Next-Generation Kia Sportage will arrive here in the Philippines.
ReplyDelete