When will 2024 Kia ​​Sportage updates hit Australia?

The Kia Sportage has been giving some operating adjustments for 2024 within the South Korean home market, together with enhancements to security and refinement in addition to a particular version.

Kia is celebrating the nameplate’s thirtieth anniversary in 2023, with the Sportage having first gone on sale in 1993 as “the world’s first city SUV”, in keeping with the Korean model. As such, the brand new Sportage thirtieth Version for the Korean market commemorates three many years of the favored crossover.

The Kia Sportage thirtieth Version is predicated on the Korean-market Gravity, which is pretty aligned with the GT-Line variant we get right here in Australia. Over the mannequin on which it is based mostly, the thirtieth Version extends gloss black trim to the grille, entrance and rear bumper inserts, in addition to the decrease door garnish and alloy wheels.

Inside, the Sportage thirtieth Version picks up quilted inexperienced leather-based seats contrasted with black suede. There’s even ‘Sportage 30’ embossing on the entrance headrests.

Additional to the commemorative version, the 2024 model-year Sportage for Korea additionally provides double-glazed entrance home windows throughout the vary, with high-spec fashions additionally getting double-glazed home windows on the rear, all claimed to enhance cabin refinement on the transfer.

Kia has additionally added rear-side airbags to all variations of the Sportage within the home market, claiming to be the primary car in its section in South Korea to suit the extra inflators as normal tools.

As for whether or not these adjustments can be utilized to Australian fashions, Kia’s native product planning boss advised CarExpert present challenges with provide and element shortages are forcing the Australian arm to deal with fulfilling an in depth financial institution of orders earlier than any changes to specification.

“We’re at the moment centered on working by way of component-related backorders for Sportage, of which there are 1000’s,” mentioned Roland Rivero, normal supervisor for product planning at Kia Australia.

“The MY24 updates for the Korean market aren’t deliberate for Australian fashions at this stage, as we’re centered on securing higher provide and introducing the first-ever Sportage Hybrid within the first quarter of 2024.”

“We’re continually working with head workplace to barter higher provide, though we anticipated these challenges will stay all through the second half of 2023,” Mr. Rivero added.

Kia Australia has a current monitor document of saving extra important adjustments for mid-life facelifts moderately than making use of annual operating adjustments.

For instance, whereas Kia Join has been rolled out globally in fashions just like the Sportage, Sorento and EV6, Australians must look forward to the facelift of every to get the on-board telematics and distant companies suite.

It is unclear when the Sportage can be in for its mid-life improve, given it solely launched right here late in 2021, however given we have seen spy pictures of up to date Hyundai Tucson prototypes doing the rounds in Europe, it should not be lengthy earlier than we see early mules for the following Sportage hitting the highway.

With that in thoughts, we might see a facelift sooner or later in 2024, three years after the present mannequin debuted – in step with a typical three to 4 12 months product lifecycle. An Australian launch might observe within the months afterwards, pointing to a possible late-2024 or early-2025 arrival.

Earlier this 12 months Mr. Rivero confirmed with CarExpert the native division was compelled to pause gross sales of the top-spec Sportage GT-Line as a consequence of semiconductor shortages affecting numerous options of the flagship grade.

“The very fact is, Kia Australia and our sellers are struggling to maintain up with Sportage demand, with numerous parts affected by provide shortages,” Mr Rivero mentioned in February.

“Naturally, the top-of-the-range variants with essentially the most microchips are essentially the most affected.”

It is understood the Sportage GT-Line variants – each 1.6T AWD petrol and a couple of.0D AWD diesel variations are provided – account for almost a 3rd of all Sportage orders in Australia.

Sportage gross sales have taken a success in 2023 consequently, down 24.9 p.c 12 months to this point (6584 items).

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