Kia considers seven year warranty

Kia Australia is considering ramping up its warranty across the range from five to seven years.  The lucky seven deal is currently only available in Europe, where Kia is aiming to lift its market share to 3 per cent by 2015, up from 1.8 per cent today.  But Kia Australia senior product manager, Nick Reid, adding two extra years ‘is something we're looking at’.

Reid says it is appealing but the cost would have to be weighed up against a consumer need.  "Extended warranties have to be paid for," he says.

Kia Europe's seven-year warranty deal was previously just available on two models but in January it extended it across all its models.  To help protect its used car values, the warranty will also be transferable to owners who buy a second-hand Kia.

Kia currently has a 10-year/160,000km warranty for its entire line-up in the United States.  In Australia Mitsubishi and Hyundai have two of the longest warranties available to new car buyers.

Mitsubishi's has a 10-year/160,000km powertrain and five-year/130,000km general warranty while Hyundais are covered by a five year/unlimited deal.  Kia reaffirmed its warranty commitment at the launch of the new Sportage during the recent Geneva Motor Show.

The chief operating officer of Kia Motors Europe, Paul Philpott, says the South Korean brand is aiming to be the world's number one carmaker for customer satisfaction.  "Our seven-year warranty is a major step towards achieving that goal," he says.

Like the Hyundai ix35, Australian Sportages will be available in both front and all-wheel drive.  Kia is also likely to stick with the larger capacity 2.2-litre turbo diesel and 2.0-litre petrol four cylinder engines rather than the new European 1.7 diesel and 1.6-litre direct injection petrol fours with stop-start technology.

The new Sportage has grown slightly in every dimension except ground clearance.  At 170mm, the new wagon has 25mm less ground clearance and Kia has shaved 90kg weight out of the car.