It’s been fully unveiled, but the local market plan remains a mystery.

WITH Hyundai’s Tucson on verge of national release, conjoined sibling marque Kia has taken to remind it has an impending new version of that car.

However, in releasing images and sharing some optimistic comment about the next Sportage, the local distributor has also stopped short of sharing when its car might come into the market – information crucial to the buyer base with the previous edition having been abruptly withdrawn from sale in May.

Previous comment has suggested it is going to be a 2022 car however the distributor for Australia has said it is set to put this Sportage on sale as early as October. Could NZ also benefit from this?

Kia NZ is also being just as coy about whether the drivetrain formats will stretch beyond the orthodox.

From what has been said, it seems the fifth-generation car is due to start out with a new 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine making 132kW and 265Nm. This engine will be paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

A 2.0-litre petrol unit making 117kW/191Nm and a 2.0-litre diesel unit making 137kW/417Nm are carried over from the previous version with a slight boost in outputs. These engines will be mated to an eight-speed auto.

Those powertrains are also expected to provision in the Tucson, which is based off the same platform.

Kia doesn't state whether the engines are paired to front or all-wheel drive, though using the Tucson as a guide, it seems reasonable to expect the 2.0-litre models to employ all-wheel-drive.

Of potentially greater interest to Kia – and Hyundai – fans are the conventional hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains that are available overseas.

Neither make has made clear if they will achieve the environmentally friendly options.

Kia already offers petrol-electric in the larger Sorento and Hyundai has indicated it will do the same in that car’s equivalent, the Santa Fe.

As the images show, the Sportage features Kia’s latest design with a crisp silhouette and plenty of edgy panel creases. A big grille and boomerang shaped headlights are trademarks of the new appearance.

A black contrast roof can be optioned for the first time and wheel sizes ranging from 17- to 19-inches in diameter.

The highlight of the interior design is a curved black panel stretching across most of the dashboard, combining a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen (with over-the-air updates) and 12-inch digital instrument cluster into one unit.

Below the screens sit a new 'ergonomic' centre console with a shift-by-wire gear selector, plus wireless phone charging, multi-zone climate control and buttons for the heated and ventilated front seats. A Harman Kardon premium sound system is also available.

Impression that the new car is larger than its predecessor is not misplaced. At 4660mm long, 1865mm wide and 1660mm high and riding on a 2755mm wheelbase it is 175mm longer overall, 10mm wider, 15mm taller and 85mm longer in wheelbase.

Boot space is rated at 637 litres – a big increase over the previous Sportage's 466 litres – with the rear seats able to be folded flat.