SPY PICS: Next-gen Sportage snapped testing

The all-new replacement for Kia's Sportage medium SUV spotted recently in the Arctic circle undergoing cold-climate testing (as pictured) is expected to feature many of the styling cues from the KX3 show car
that made its debut in China late last year.

That means the new Sportage, which will be built on the same platform as the new generation Hyundai ix35, will adopt some styling details perhaps more in keeping with Porsche's Cayenne and Macan SUVs than any previous Schreyer-penned Kia model.

Behind the A pillars however, the Sportage will retain the general proportions and broader styling themes of the current model, which is also built on Hyundai's ix35 architecture, albeit the current generation Hyundai's.

The KX3, while understood to be slated for production, is a smaller car than the current Sportage, closer in size to the Holden Trax, and is reportedly reserved for the Chinese market alone.

With the new ix35 expected to make its global debut shortly – at the Geneva motor show – the production version of the Sportage will follow later in the year, possibly in time for Frankfurt.