Britain’s best-selling car of 2024 revealed – and it looks great, drives sweetly and has the right mix of engines

WHO’S going to beryllium the Christmas No1?

Ford oregon Kia?

Ford topped the charts Last Christmas with Puma.

Obvious Wham! notation for you there.

But this clip circular my money’s connected the Koreans.

It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Kia.

It truly is.

Official figures to beryllium released adjacent week volition amusement Kia’s Sportage has overtaken Puma successful the contention to go Britain’s best-selling centrifugal of 2024.

Kia is present our 4th favourite car marque — down Volkswagen, BMW and Audi — with a grounds 106,000 income successful 11 months.

Ford has slumped from 2nd to 5th with income down 24 per cent astatine 100,000.

Nobody would person seen that coming 8 years agone erstwhile Fiesta sold 125,000 copies successful a twelvemonth connected its own.

Why is Sportage specified a smash hit?

That’s an casual one.

Because it looks great, drives sweetly, and has the close premix of hybrid engines, utile tech and practicality, starting from £29k.

It’s the do-it-all household SUV.

Next summer, Sportage volition beryllium remixed with a striking caller LED airy signature and a refreshed cabin, arsenic previewed astatine the Los Angeles Auto Show.

We similar it. Plus, it’s the lone car we tin deliberation of with Apple CarPlay projected connected the windscreen via Head-up Display.

Kia brag Paul Philpott is bouncing astatine the imaginable of Sportage ending the twelvemonth arsenic No1 — but he’s not obsessed by it.

He’s got 1 oculus connected making definite Kia hits the Government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate which requires 22 per cent of income to beryllium axenic electric.

Strength to strength

Philpott said: “Sportage is the backbone of our brand. It conscionable evolves and goes from spot to strength.

“We’ve ne'er acceptable retired with goals to go No1 marque oregon No1 car enactment but the occurrence of Sportage is simply a wide endorsement of however overmuch advancement Kia has made and however Sportage appeals to tons of antithetic customers.

“As we determination connected this modulation to electric vehicles and travel our ZEV mandate targets each year, we are not going to wantonness hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

“We’re going to support selling them for arsenic agelong arsenic we tin alongside EVs — and we request to put successful Sportage with bold plan to basal retired successful a beauteous competitory market.

“I deliberation that’s go synonymous with Kia. To person cars that truly basal retired connected the road.”

Kia besides unveiled the peri-peri blistery EV9 GT successful LA and a wicked camper van conception called WKNDR.

The electrical SUV is 501hp, up 122hp connected the regular EV9, with engineers adding virtual cogwheel shifts, adaptive suspension and bigger brakes. It needs them.

The camper shows however Kia’s electrical van family, arriving this clip adjacent year, tin beryllium tailored for enactment and play.

Love it.

All I Want For Christmas Is You.