Kia small SUV confirmed to finally arrive Q4 2019

Kia Australia has confirmed that a sub-Sportage SUV will hit local showrooms in the fourth quarter of this year, finally giving the Korean brand an answer to the likes of the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota C-HR. 

Speaking with CarsGuide this week in Sydney, Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith confirmed the timing of the new small SUV, which was previously tipped to arrive in early 2020. 

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The new model is set to be revealed in the coming months, with the existing Niro and Stonic international options having been ruled for down under. It's expected to bear a very close resemblance to the SP Concept revealed in India 12 months ago, which would be very good news.

Mr Meredith said the new small SUV would be bigger than the Stonic and the Kona from sister brand Hyundai, but still a step beneath Sportage and sit between Cerato and Sportage's $19,990 and $29,990 respective starting points. 

This suggests it will be closer in size to the Nissan Qashqai and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, and help distinguish it from the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota C-HR at the smaller end of the segment. 

The small SUV market continues to gather pace in Australia, with a 2.4 per cent gain over 2018 to the end of February according to VFACTS. This is compared to an 8.4 per cent slide for the total market over the same period.

Would you buy a production SP Concept over a Kona? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.