What's the news?
With all the hoo-ha going on over in California at the moment with the Monterey Car Week, the impending Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) has almost become a footnote. So here's Kia jogging our memories by announcing that it will be showing off the all-new, fourth-generation Sportage crossover at the German event.
At this stage, the images we have of the car are artist's impressions, which have some overblown proportions (ginormous alloys, tiny glasshouse, impossibly slim A-pillars), but otherwise this looks a promising motor. It features the tiger nose corporate grille, a rear end that's not too dissimilar from the current model's and front-end design that's vaguely reminiscent of a Porsche Macan; Kia describes the same things as a 'bold, progressive design, which exudes power and agility from every angle - the dynamic compact SUV styling creates visual harmony out of the tension between bold, precise feature lines and dramatically-sculptured bodywork'.
Inside, an area where the current Sportage is starting to show its age, Kia is promising this version will have its most refined, high-quality cabin to date. It's an important car for the company and we look forward to seeing it in the metal.
Anything else?
Receiving its global premiere at the Frankfurt IAA, the European-styled Sportage is said to represent the future face of Kia, so expect to see more models looking like this in the coming months and years.