Kia Sportage celebrates milestone of 7 mn sales in 30 years

Kia Sportage has sold more than 7 million units since its launch three decades ago, celebrating the milestone with a special edition of its fifth-generation model in hopes of cementing Sportage's legacy as Kia’s best-selling car.

Kia Corp. said on Monday that cumulative global sales of the Sportage have topped 7 million units since its market debut in 1993.  

This is the biggest-ever sales record for Kia’s single model, followed by the discontinued Pride with 6.3 million units and the Sorento with 4.1 million units.

Over the last 30 years, South Korea’s second-largest carmaker has rolled out five generations of its first compact sport utility vehicle car, which was a very new and unique SUV model three decades ago when off-road SUVs were still prevalent.

Immediately upon hitting the market, the Sportage grabbed attention with its sleek design and sedan-like driving experience.

“The Kia Sportage was a groundbreaking product from day one,” Lee Tae-hun, senior vice president and head of Kia’s Global Operation Division, said in a company statement on Monday.

The first generation sold 557,678 units until it was discontinued in 2003.

SPANNING FIVE GENERATIONS IN 30 YEARS

Its second generation, released in 2004, sold more than 1,212,000 in total thanks to improved performance. It had the same platform and powertrain as the Tucson, the compact SUV by Kia’s bigger sibling Hyundai Motor Co.

Its sales also started increasing in Europe since the opening of Kia’s car manufacturing plant in Slovakia in 2007.

The third generation, known as the Sportage R (Revolution), was the first Sportage showcasing Kia’s signature Tiger Nose grille design. Since its launch in 2010, it earned various international design awards, including those from iF Design, Good Design and Red Dot.

Its total sales reached 2,200,343 units.

The fourth-generation Sportage debuted in 2015 with enhanced safety and convenience features. Kia spent 44 months and 390 billion won ($303 million) to develop it, said the company.

It was also the first Sportage to add a downsized 1.6-liter engine model. Combined with the original 2-liter engine model, the fourth generation sold 2,297,500 units in total, the most ever for the Sportage.

The latest fifth generation finally hit the roads in July 2021 with a larger body offering a more spacious interior like a mid-sized SUV.

On top of its original gasoline and diesel models, the latest generation also comes in a hybrid version.

It has so far sold a total of 731,445 units since its launch.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary, Kia recently released the 2024 Sportage, a facelift model of the fifth generation.

Kia said the newest model is enhanced with a more premium look, as well as a focus on convenience and safety.

The smaller sibling of Hyundai Motor reported its record-high first-half global sales this year after shipping 1,575,920 units globally in the first six months.

Its global sales growth was mainly driven by brisk sales of SUVs, especially with the top seller Sportage selling 260,485 units.


Write to Nan-Sae Bin at binthere@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.