KIA reveals a refined Sportage and a dynamic fleet strategy
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KIA recently launched its new Sportage. This third generation of the price-conscious SUV sports a tougher look, modern engines and an improved interior, all designed to ensure that the Sportage remains a serious competitor in the C-SUV segment. A segment which has attracted a great deal of interest in the early years of its existence at an international level, and in which KIA firmly believes.
How much success the new KIA Sportage will meet with where companies are concerned will depend on the price list, residual values and the fiscal impact. One advantage is certainly the 7-year guarantee, which no competitor can offer.
Comfortable and roomy What is quite clear is that the new Sportage signals a clear break from the somewhat indecisive image of the brand. It looks both fluid and solid, has a modern touch, a carefully thought-out and roomy interior which feels good and provides plenty of accommodation for five adults. The boot space is also practical, though it is certainly not the largest in its class. The new Sportage is available with either 2.0 l petrol engine developing 163 bhp or a 2.0 l diesel of 136 bhp. Both engines can be allied to a manual or automatic gearbox. Our first short drive in the 2.0 CRDi 2WD was very promising. This is also true for the figures, with average fuel consumption of 5.5 l per 100 km and CO2 emissions of 147 g/km (and consumption of 5.8 l/100 km and emissions of 149 g/km for the AWD-version). Thanks to an intelligent forward train the new Sportage handles more smoothly, while also benefiting from better engines, which give it a more supple feel and are particularly quiet at constant speeds. With this Sportage KIA has also made improvements in comfort and, above all, safety. The active and passive safety equipment has been expanded, with among others ESC (Electronic Stability Control) which also comes with Hill-Start Assist Control and Downhill Brake Control, and VSM (Vehicle Stability Management) which provides intelligent driving assistance in critical situations.
Fleet is crucial Guiseppe Tommaso, General Manager Business Development of KIA, gave some details of the KIA fleet strategy. It is important for him that KIA develops a profitable dealer network which does not just mean just good graphic design, but which corresponds to the quality, image and service offering of the brand. KIA numbers 1,121 dealers in Europe, a figure which is set to rise to 1,300 by 2014. “In addition to this it is very important that we increase fleet activity and fleet volumes, in order to make the fleet business a crucial pillar of the overall growth strategy of KIA. Did you know that by 2012 our KIA Soul will be the oldest model in the range – which just shows how quickly KIA wants to and will develop”, goes on Guiseppe Tommaso. According to the Dataforce study bureau, the fleet market for leased vehicles is set to increase by 0.26% compared to 2009. KIA has the objective of increasing its market share in leased vehicles by 14.37% compared to last year. “We are therefore concentrating on genuine fleet sales but this does not mean that we are ignoring the Rent a Car business, we would like to grow this to around 10% of total fleet sales. This, together the introduction of a buy back-formula via our dealers and good collaboration with Rent a Car specialists, will be in line with both our perception of quality and with our residual values. Figures from specialists such as EurotaxGlass’s, Bähr & Fess Forecasts and Jato show that residual values are good now, but that they can get even better, and this is an important challenge. But the most important goal is client satisfaction. Nothing will change in this respect.”
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