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Kia Sportage Named International Truck of the Year

During the opening days of the North American International Auto Show, one of the most impressive vehicles coming from a South Korean manufacturer, the Sportage, was named International Truck of the Year by a jury consisting of 12 auto journalists.

The model was crowned the king of trucks after completing all the requirements and impressing the jury with its qualities. To be eligible for the award, vehicles must be sold in the U.S. and be either all-new or significantly changed from the previous generation in design and technology.

To win, a car or truck are judged based on lifestyle attributes like appeal to men and women, head-turning ability, environmental friendliness, style and performance, affordability and practicality, grocery-getting potential, safety and dependability, being fun and cool, ability to be considered a status symbol and a vehicle consumers would be proud to drive and be seen in.

"The 2011 Sportage is an eye-catching CUV that appeals to a wide audience with its unique combination of breathtaking design, value, quality, technology and standard safety features,"
said Michael Sprague, Kia marketing & communications vice president.

"Since its debut last summer, Sportage's popularity and consumer appeal has outpaced supply in our showrooms."

The Sportage is available in the US in three trims, Base, LX and EX, and sells starting from $18,295. Under the hood, Kia offers the model with two types of engines, a 2.4l DOHC (176 hp) and a 2.0l turbo GDI (270 hp), with the latter to become available in 2011. Both engines will be offered with either a front-wheel drive or a Dynamax all-wheel drive configuration.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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