As any fashion-foward person knows, it’s hard to stay a step ahead of everyone when it comes to progressive style. But Kia is clearly determined to try, if its redesign of the Sportage is any indication.
Kia is set to unveil the all-new Sportage at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, after which it is expected to go on sale as a 2017 model.
The design motif, featuring contrasting sharp edges and smooth surfaces, echoes shapes found in modern fighter jets, Kia says.
This new look for the compact sport utility vehicle perpetuates a revolution led by chief designer Peter Schreyer, which began with the 2011 Kia Optima sedan. (Read about the equally progressive all-new Optima here.)
At a glance, the new Kia Sportage’s shape is reminiscent of its predecessor’s. But up close, it is clear that the front end is drastically different. By moving the headlights out of the same plane as the “tiger-nose” front grille—a hallmark of all new Kias—the designers created a whole new face.
The headlights now sit high up in the hood and stretch back into the fenders. Meanwhile the front grille is lower down, anchored by quad driving lights on either side.
The overall effect is a “more imposing appearance and a more stable-looking stance,” Kia says.
The 2017 Sportage’s swept-back silhouette with a roof gently tapering toward the rear recalls the current model, but the overall proportions are not the same. The front and rear wheels are stretched further apart. The front overhang is longer, and the rear overhang more truncated. The wheel arches are also more pronounced.
The chiseled horizontal lines on the rear of the Sportage were inspired by the Kia Provo concept, which debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.
Kia’s European design studio in Frankfurt took the lead on remaking the Sportage, so its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show is only fitting. The company’s studios in Irvine, Calif., and Namyang, Korea, also gave input.
Frankfurt’s auto show kicks off September 15 with two press days, followed by two trade days. It will be open to the public September 19 through 27.
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