Kia Sportage offers: GT-Line delay details

Premium variations of the popular other car may have to wait longer due to lack of components.

Talk to auto expertGeneral manager of product planning Roland Rivero said the variant that was hit the hardest was the top-of-the-line GT-Line, which accounts for most of the demand from private buyers.

“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.

“Of course, the highest-end variants with the most chips will be affected the most.”

“The supply mix is ​​not ideal, favoring lower trim variants. Customers are encouraged to sit still, while we negotiate for more stock.”

It doesn’t appear that Kia will follow other manufacturers in removing features to reduce component usage; e.g. removing a high-end audio system with a higher speaker count or a radar sensor for a driver assistance system.

This latest development marks a very successful year for the Sportage nameplate, with 18,792 registrations in 2022 – an increase of 136.4% year-on-year compared to 2021. June 2022 is also the Kia’s mid-size SUV nameplate has achieved this achievement for the first time. more than 2000 sales in a month, an all-time record (2044 pcs).

Enough to see the Sportage finish fourth in Australia’s largest new car sales segment, behind TOYOTA RAV4 (34.845), Mazda CX-5 (27.062) and Mitsubishi Outlander (19.546). Sportage also achieved sales more than 1000 units compared to Hyundai Tucson twins (17,870).

January 2023 saw 1572 registered in Australia, an increase of 41.6% compared to the same month in 2022.

Kia Australia offers a total of 11 Sportage variants across four trim levels and three powertrains.

Prices start at $32,795 plus on-road costs for the entry-level Sportage S 2.0 FWD and rise to $52,720 before hitting the road for the most expensive Sportage GT-Line 2.0D AWD.

Stay tuned auto expert for all the latest.

THAN: Everything Kia Sportage