• Two out of 3 of Kia's global best sellers are SUVs
• CKD Kia Sportage to launch in Malaysia in 2023

Kia sold 2,777,056 vehicles globally in 2021, up 6.5 percent from 2020 but still down 1.2 percent from the pre-pandemic / pre-semiconductor shortage 2019, when Kia sold 2,812,294 cars.

As before, the Kia Sportage remains Kia’s global best-seller, selling 363,630 units last year. The Kia Seltos (298,737 units) and Kia Forte (240,627 units) rounded of Kia’s top-3 best sellers.

The Kia Sportage has been earmarked for local-assembly (CKD) in Malaysia, and is estimated to be launched here in 2023. When available, the Sportage will go up against the likes of the Toyota Corolla Cross and Honda CR-V.

Also read: 4 new Kia models to Malaysia, EV included - CKD Kia Carnival, Sportage, Sorento, Niro

Globally, two engines are available in the all-new Sportage – a turbocharged 1.6-litre TGDI petrol unit (180 PS/265 Nm) and a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine (186 PS/417 Nm). Both engines are paired to a 7-speed DCT and an 8-speed automatic respectively.

Kia has also confirmed the hybrid and PHEV variants of the Sportage, but specifics have yet to be revealed.

Also read: Kia Malaysia targets 30k units of CKD cars by 2026, exports to make up 60 percent

In 2022, Kia is targeting global sales of 3.15 million units. By region, Kia expects to sell 562,000 units in Korea and 2.59 million vehicles in markets outside of Korea.