'New Sportage, Even You'... Delivery Next Spring Even If You Sign Now

Internal Combustion Engines Take 4 Months, HEVs Take 6 Months
Impact of Prolonged Semiconductor Supply Shortage

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Amid the ongoing shortage of automotive semiconductors that has not been resolved in the third quarter, the newly released Kia compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), the new Sportage, is also experiencing an increase in delivery waiting times.

According to industry sources on the 4th, if you sign a contract for the Sportage this month, it takes more than 4 to 6 months to receive the vehicle. It is known that internal combustion engine vehicles such as gasoline and diesel take more than 4 months, while hybrid (HEV) vehicles take more than 6 months.

A sales representative at a Kia branch in Seoul said, "Last month, we informed customers that it would take about 5 months for delivery when contracting a Sportage HEV, but this month we are saying it takes more than 6 months."

Although the new Sportage has been steadily popular with customers since its launch, semiconductor supply conditions remain unstable, causing delivery delays.

Earlier, Kia recorded 16,078 pre-orders on the first day of pre-contracts for the new Sportage on July 6, and completed pre-orders with a total of 22,195 units.

Also, in July, the first month of production, 3,079 units were sold, and last month, excluding commercial vehicles, it ranked first in vehicle sales with 6,517 units, showing strong customer popularity.

On the other hand, the Malaysian government imposed lockdowns from June to last month to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, and semiconductor factories that stopped operations during this period have not fully normalized production.

Kia and Hyundai exchange surplus automotive semiconductors to prevent vehicle production stoppages, but it is reported that avoiding a decrease in production volume is difficult.

Besides the Sportage, the sales situation of Hyundai and Kia SUVs is reported to be similar to last month. For Hyundai’s compact SUV Tucson, both internal combustion engine and HEV vehicles take more than 6 months for delivery.

Kia Sorento is also known to take 4 months for diesel and more than 6 months for gasoline and HEV. For the Carnival, it is guided on-site that it takes about 5 months for diesel and 6 months for gasoline from contract to delivery.