The other car has been rolling out a number of ongoing changes for 2024 in the Korean domestic market, including refinement and safety improvements as well as a special edition.
Kia will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2023, with the Sportage going on sale for the first time in 1993 as “the world’s first urban SUV”, according to the Korean brand. As such, the new 30th edition Sportage for the Korean market celebrates three decades of the popular crossover.
The 30th version of the Gravity-based Kia Sportage for the Korean market is a relative fit for the GT-Line variant we have in Australia. As for the model it’s based on, the 30th Edition extends the gloss black trim for the grille, front and rear bumper pads, as well as the lower door trim and alloy wheels.
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30th Sportage Edition
Inside, the Sportage 30th Edition opts for green quilted leather seats contrasted with black suede. There’s even the words ‘Sportage 30’ on the front headrests.
In addition to the anniversary edition, the 2024 Sportage for Korea adds front double-glazed windows across the entire lineup, with high-end models also getting double-glazed rear windows, all of which are said to improve cabin refinement on the go.
Kia has also added rear airbags to all versions of the Sportage in the domestic market, which is claimed to be the first car in its segment in Korea to feature additional airbags as standard equipment.
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30th Sportage Edition
As for whether these changes will apply to Australian models, Kia’s local product planning boss said auto expert Current challenges with supply and component shortages are forcing the Australian branch to focus on fulfilling a large number of orders before any adjustments to specifications are made.
Roland Rivero, general manager of product planning at Kia Australia, said: “We are currently focused on resolving the backlog related to components for Sportage, which includes thousands of orders.
“MY24 updates for the Korean market are not planned for Australian models at this stage, as we are focused on better securing the supply and introducing the first version. Sportage Hybrid in the first quarter of 2024.”
“We are continuously working with headquarters to negotiate better supply, although we anticipate these challenges will remain throughout the second half of 2023,” added Mr. Rivero.
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Sportage GT-Series
Kia Australia recently had a track record of saving more significant changes for mid-life upgrades rather than applying annual running changes.
For example, while Kia Connect has been rolled out globally in models such as the Sportage, Sorento and EV6, Australians will have to wait for each model’s upgrade to get a suite of telematics and in-vehicle telematics services.
It’s unclear when the Sportage will get a mid-life upgrade, as it only debuted here in late 2021, but given we’ve seen sneak peeks of updated Hyundai Tucson prototypes circling Europe, it won’t be long before we see the first cars of the next Sportage hit the road.
With that in mind, we could see an upgrade at some point in 2024, three years after the current model’s launch – which would fit in with a typical three- to four-year product life cycle. An Australian launch could take place in the months that follow, pointing to a possible arrival in late 2024 or early 2025.
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Sportage GT-Series
Earlier this year, Mr. Rivero confirmed to auto expert local department is forced to suspend sales of the Sportage GT-Line top specs due to a semiconductor shortage affecting various features of the top class.
“The reality is that Kia Australia and our dealers are struggling to keep up with Sportage’s demand, with various parts running short in supply,” said Mr. Rivero.
“Naturally, the highest-end variants with the most chips will be affected the most.”
The Sportage GT-Line variants – both 1.6T AWD petrol and 2.0D AWD diesels are offered – account for almost a third of all Sportage orders in Australia.
As a result, Sportage sales took a hit in 2023, down 24.9% year-to-date (6584 units).
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