, but here we are in 2024 and there’s no sign of the C-segment Honda CR-V fighter. Yet, because it is coming, confirmed by Bermaz group CEO Datuk Francis Lee Kok Chuan in an interview with
Lee told the business paper that the Sportage will be the next volume key driver for Bermaz, with the group aiming to sell 4,000 to 5,000 units of the SUV a year. It will be CKD locally assembled at the Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah, alongside Kia’s bigger Sorento SUV and Carnival MPV. If that sounds like a healthy volume for a Kia model, it’s because Kia will soon assume responsibility as Bermaz’s ‘volume generator’, a role that Mazda plays now. However,“Kia’s Asia-Pacific office is based in KL and they want to make the ASEAN project work because they are already good everywhere, except in ASEAN and China. So, now, they are putting a lot of emphasis on the ASEAN market,” Lee said.
“The Sportage is selling very well worldwide; in fact, they don’t have CBU cars for us to bring in,” the Bermaz CEO added, revealing that the company will market the internal combustion engine variant of the Sportage first before introducing they hybrid., the latest Sportage wears a bold new look that follows the Korean carmaker’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. Big in Europe, it was launched with a choice of two ICE options as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid options.