Kia Sportage wins 2011 Car of the Year from Motoring TV

- 2011 Sportage and 2011 Forte5-Door win respective categories from Motoring 2011
- 2011 Sportage wins overall Car of the Year from Motoring 2011 marking 5th Canadian Award since July 2011 launch

Mississauga, ON, February 7, 2011 – Kia Motors all-new 2011 Sportage Compact Utility Vehicle (CUV) has been awarded the 2011 Car of the Year from Motoring TV, finishing ahead of eleven other category winners that qualified for the overall accolade. The 2011 Sportage also finished ahead of the Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi RVR to win the ‘Best SUV / CUV under $40,000’. Kia had another category winner as well, with the Forte5-Door winning the ‘Best Small Car over $20,000’ category.

“The 2011 Sportage is a world-class vehicle that includes exceptional design, technology and safety elements that have made it a Car of the Year winner,” said Robert Staffieri, Director of Marketing Kia Canada Inc. “Both the Car of the Year win along with the category further supports our brand value which is resonating with Canadians. It has also been validated by some of the top automotive journalists in Canada from Motoring TV”.

Since its launch in July 2010, the 2011 Kia Sportage has also been awarded “Best SUV” by Le Guide de l’ Auto, “Compact Utility of the Year” by Auto123.com, “Compact CUV / Crossover under $40,000” by the 2011 World of Wheels Editors’ Choice Award. Additionally, the Canadian Automotive Jury awarded the 2011 Sportage as a “Best of the Best” Finalist for 2011.

2011 Kia Sportage
Starting at $21,995, the all-new Sportage marks a dramatic shift in design direction for Kia’s CUV. Longer, lower and wider than the previous generation model, the new Sportage is easily identifiable by its ‘family’ grille, a major design cornerstone from Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer. “I want to give Kia global appeal, and I want that appeal to be about design above all else”, said Schreyer. “The new Sportage is a major step towards achieving that goal. With its athletic and muscular design the Sportage fits its name perfectly.”

Equipped with a long list of standard safety features and impeccable performance in front, side, rear and rollover crash testing, the Sportage is an honourable recipient of the “2011 Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. All trims of the Sportage come outfitted with driver and passenger advanced front airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags and side curtain airbags. The Sportage also showcases front active headrests, four-wheel Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with Traction Control (TC), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Hill Assist Control (HAC) and Downhill Brake Control (DBC), Roll Over Prevention (ROP) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM).

The 2011 Sportage is the first Kia vehicle to feature a Dynamax All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system with similar systems typically found on vehicles in the luxury segment. Dynamax AWD functions by continuously monitoring driving conditions to provide the perfect amount of torque needed for any driving situation, providing optimized traction at all times. With 176 horsepower being derived from a 2.4-litre DOHC four-cylinder engine, the Sportage offers stunning fuel efficiency, using as little as 6.3 liters per 100 kilometers on the highway and 9.5 litres per 100 kilometers in city driving conditions. Kia has also recently announced the Sportage SX trim, which will house the all-new flagship engine, a 2.0-litre Turbo Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), producing 260 horsepower and 268 lb-ft of torque.

2011 Forte5-Door
The Forte family consisting of the 4-door sedan and 2-door Koup was extended with the addition of the Forte5-Door. This hatchback carries forward all of the Forte line-up characteristics and adds a cavernous cargo area and convenient access through a rear hatch, making it a practical, yet modern iteration.

The sporty hatchback is priced from $16,695 and exudes styling of European tastes and enhanced practicality. The wedge like character of the side profile displays a sense of speed while signifying luxury in the compact segment. Available with an efficient 2.0-liter engine or a sporty 2.4-liter engine both featuring a six-speed manual transmission or an available six-speed automatic transmission.

Safety comes naturally to the Kia Forte5-Door, with the standard protection of six airbags, dual advance front, dual side seat mounted and dual full length curtain airbags. Complemented by the sure-footed stopping power of four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and a rigid body structure that helps channel crash energy away from the driver and passengers. Other safety features include anti-whiplash active front headrests, electronic stability control, traction control, panic brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, impact sensing door unlock, front seat belt pretensioners and rear child safety door locks.

The Forte5-Door provides Canadian’s a vehicle that is fun, stylish, and practical with a touch of attitude. The hatchback is both exciting and fuel efficient, with its ECO-Minder technology it gives the driver the ability to travel farther between fill-ups. When the ECO indicator illuminates green, there is no second guessing about travelling with the best fuel efficiency. With available paddle shifters, push-button start ignition and voice recognition navigation, the Forte5-Door offers all the technology one would need to have a safe and comfortable ride.

About TSN Motoring TV
Motoring is a weekly national half hour magazine style television program produced by Bradford Productions and is now in its 21st season on TSN, The Sports Network. It is TSN and Bradford’s longest running program and has been selected North America’s top automotive broadcast several times since its premier in 1987.

Kia Canada Inc. (www.kia.ca) -- a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart -- is a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) in Korea was founded in 1999 and sells and services high quality class leading vehicles like the Soul, Forte and Sorento through a network of 171 dealers nationwide. Kia Canada Inc. employs 141 people in its Mississauga, Ontario headquarters and four regional offices across Canada. Kia Motors Corporation continues to showcase the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.