Kia America is releasing part two of a
Sportage ad launched in July with a focus on the Kia Sportage Hybrid.
“Keep the Adventure Going," is set to the tune of Steve Miller Band’s “Rock’n
Me,” and will break after Labor Day and run through the end of the year.
Music aficionados may notice it doesn’t sound exactly like the original.
That’s because the automaker paid to have Miller rerecord a quicker-paced version to get through more of the lyrics in 30 seconds, says Russell Wager, vice president, marketing, Kia
America.
To refresh your memory, in the spot from David & Goliath, the male heroine, who has a T-shirt for every state he is shown driving in, meets a woman at the end of
the first spot, and they're shown driving off into the sunset.
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In part two, they drive to Vegas, get married, drive through some more states (with more T-shirt switches)
before ending in Maine, where she presents him with a tiny Maine T-shirt to signify what’s next (a baby.)
It would seem natural to have a part three, but at this point none is
planned, Wager tells DriveTime.
The target for the new Sportage is "definitely focused on style and technology, but affordability within that package,” Wager
says. “They are multitaskers, they’re always on the move. They are definitely driven by design and functional elements within it.”
As for positioning, “it's
boldly designed and ready for anything,” Wager says.
Sportage sales are through the roof this year, with the company having sold 101,564 through July -- compared to 161,917
for all of 2024, 140,780 for 2023 and 125,245 for 2022.
The vehicle starts at $30,290, plus $1,445 destination and handling. That’s an increase of $1,300 for the year,
which is due to the increased technology and other improvements in the vehicle, says Wager, who declined to discuss if tariffs are impacting the company’s pricing decisions.
The vehicle includes new driver-centric, dual 12.3-inch panoramic displays, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard on all trims.