SPOTTED: What's the 2024 Kia Sportage doing at Honda Makati?

It looks like Kia Philippines distributor ACMobility will have several cars to reveal at the 2024 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS). Just last week, we received word that Kia was given regulatory approval for an upcoming passenger vehicle powered by a 1598cc engine (1.6L) and weighing around 2241kg.

Since a well-placed source confirmed with us months ago that Kia plans to reveal the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Sorento, the Korean automaker's recently approved mystery vehicle may just be the aforementioned midsize crossover SUV. Combined with the fact that this year’s PIMS is all set for next month and Kia is attending, it’s no surprise the brand is already busy making moves.

Now, Kia Philippines might pull off another surprise for which we might have spoiled early. Just recently, a reader sent us photos of the all-new 2024 Kia Sportage that was spotted in a place we weren’t expecting, Honda Cars Makati. What could a Korean crossover SUV be doing in a Honda dealership?

Despite the all-new Sportage looking out of place in a Honda dealership, Honda Cars Makati is actually an Ayala-owned outlet. Perhaps someone from Kia thought it would be a good idea to put the next-generation Sportage in a Honda dealership so as not to arouse suspicion from the public. Unfortunately for them, the eagle-eyed reader who sent us the photos was able to spot the odd one out.

The recent sighting of the all-new Kia Sportage also comes as a surprise since an executive from ACMobility told us a few months ago they don’t have any plans to bring the next-generation Sportage to the country. Mind you, we asked this particular question around 4 months ago which was not too long ago.

Does this mean Kia Philippines plans to eventually hold a preview or launch of the fifth-generation crossover SUV soon? Perhaps, perhaps not. Another possibility as to why the all-new Sportage was recently spotted is that Kia Philippines might just be doing evaluation studies with the said crossover.

This means the automaker might not yet be ready to officially launch the all-new Sportage but they could already be conducting studies and comparing it with other rival nameplates. After all, the Sportage name has been dormant for quite some time and may need to be reintroduced in a timely manner despite the name recall associated with it.

With the recent sighting, however, we cannot help but be more curious about the Sportage’s supposed return to the Philippine market. Could Kia Philippines eventually bring it back to do battle in the compact crossover SUV segment? And will it be available with a wide array of engine options which include a turbo-gasoline, a turbo-diesel, a turbo-hybrid, and a turbo plug-in hybrid?

Let us know in the comments what you think.