Despite surviving a facelift, the cheapest version of the Kia Sportage – with a 2.0-litre petrol engine – may face the chopping block under increasingly stringent emissions rules for new vehicles.
The cheapest Kia Sportage on sale in Australia – with a 2.0-litre non-turbo petrol engine – appears to be on the way out under tightening emissions rules here and overseas.
Among the petrol variants under threat was the base-model 2.0-litre engine used in the Sportage, as it emits more CO2 than the hybrid, turbo-petrol and diesel versions, but makes the car lighter – so is hit with more stringent CO2 emissions targets.
Now Kia Australia has hinted the variant could be dropped entirely in the coming years.
"For the 2.0-litre, its days might be ... numbered, at least in Australia, as we see the evolution of NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standard)," Kia Australia head of product Roland Rivero told a media conference,
It remains to be seen how long the 2.0-litre petrol engine remains in showrooms.
Rivero told Drive earlier this year Kia wants to keep the choice available for customers as long as possible, but emissions rules may force the brand's hand.
It may not disappear until the next-generation model launches in 2027 or 2028, which reports suggest may go hybrid-only.
About 20 per cent of Sportage SUVs sold in Australia are hybrids, with the remaining 80 per cent split "pretty much 50/50" between petrol and diesel, Kia Australia says.
The 2.0-litre petrol, which accounts for around 30 per cent of all Sportage sales, is the most affordable model in the new Sportage range now at $37,990 before on-road costs in S guise.
Losing this option would leave the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel as the base engine in the S, for $43,390 plus on-road costs.
The cheapest 1.6-litre turbo-petrol hybrid variant is the SX, which starts at $46,450 plus on-road costs, while the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol non-hybrid is offered in the SX+ for $47,080 (plus on-road costs).
Rivero said while targets will become more stringent, the company will try to supply buyers with the products they demand.
"The [NVES] targets are going to continue getting tougher, although it seems to be changing," Rivero said.
"Things evolve, and we will work with the evolving market expectations. There are always external factors that you've got to try and plan for. It's difficult, obviously, if you have a moving target, but you could say that about a lot of things like safety ratings.
"We've just got to plan forward, be responsible and flexible."
Estimations by Drive suggest – based on a penalty of $100 per gram-per-kilometre of CO2 emitted over the target – a 2.0-litre petrol Sportage would incur a fine equivalent to $4600 under the NVES in 2025.
It compares to equivalent fines of $2400 for the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol and $1400 for the diesel, and a credit equivalent to $3700 on front-wheel-drive hybrid models.
In other words, Kia would need to sell 12 front-wheel-drive hybrid Sportages to directly offset the sale of 10 front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre petrols.
It's unclear whether Kia will choose to completely cease the 2.0-litre option, but it will likely make it one of the engines for which it will throttle the supply to reach NVES targets.
The 2.0-litre engine has been a staple for entry-level Kia and Hyundai models, including the Sportage, K4, Cerato, and Seltos, for nearly 15 years, and was last updated in 2019.
Kia says it has retained the engine to date for "cost-effectiveness", and because customers still want it.
Executives say that as long as the engine remains in production in South Korea, there is a chance it will still be available in small volumes for Australia.
Kia has previously had issues securing stock of hybrids, but Rivero said the situation is improving.
"The Korean factory has to supply North America and Australia. Europe, luckily, has a Slovakian factory doing it, too. So, we're able to get some supply, but it's improving – that's what we hear," Rivero told Drive.
"I think now that we've thrown an all-wheel-drive [Sportage hybrid] into the mix, it's probably going to trickle up maybe around 25 per cent, if not 30 per cent of the [sales split for Sportage]."
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
