New Kia Crossover Coming in 2019 Based on SP Concept
A new Kia subcompact crossover will arrive in the US next year, the Korean automaker has revealed.
Speaking to Automotive News, Kia CEO Han-Woo Park said the automaker has plans to bring a new subcompact crossover to the US based on the SP Concept that it showed in India earlier this year. The production SP Concept will reportedly be called the Kia Tusker in India, although it’s not clear if it will have the same name in the US. The automaker described the concept as a tech-forward vehicle aimed at young people when it first debuted it in India.
The new subcompact crossover will join a growing range of Kia crossovers when it lands in 2019. The automaker recently rolled out the Niro and Niro EV and also has plans to introduce a new Soul and Soul EV. The large three-row Kia Telluride will also go on sale in the spring of next year.
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Kia is banking on its new crossovers to boost sales. According to data obtained by AN, Kia’s US sales were down 1.3 percent as of September 2018, while the rest of the market has experienced a 0.5% growth. Its sister company Hyundai s also going big on crossovers, rolling out the new Kona compact crossover this year along with the Kona EV, the new Santa Fe, an updated Tuscon and the hydrogen fuel cell Nexo.
Look for the production-ready SP Concept to debut later this year or early next year before going on sale alongside the full-size Telluride in mid-2019.
[Source: Automotive News]
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