All-New Kia Sportage Receives ISO 14040 Environmental Certificate

SYDNEY – Sept 16, 2010: The all-new Kia Sportage has been awarded an internationally recognised environmental certificate following a rigorous assessment of all environmental aspects, from production through day-to-day running to recycling. TÜV Nord certified that the third generation of the compact SUV complies with the strict environmental standards of the ISO 14040 life cycle assessment.

The inspection conducted by the prestigious organisation certified the vehicle’s good eco-balance and the significant environmental progress Kia has made when compared to the previous model.

One of the environmentally relevant improvements to the all-new Sportage is the significant reduction of the vehicle’s weight. Although the third generation of the compact SUV has increased in length to 4.44 metres (an increase of 9cm) the weight was reduced by between 87 and 160 kilograms depending on the car’s specifications.

The new Sportage uses the latest fuel-saving technologies, such as a start-stop system, and has a choice of four advanced engines, including a new 1.7-litre diesel and Kia’s first petrol direct injection engine. (Both of these engines are available with manual transmission only and are not planned for Australia). The 1.7-litre diesel and the DI petrol will be available in Europe from the end of this year with CO2 emissions of less than 140g per kilometre.

“The eco-balance certificate for the new Kia Sportage is further proof of Kia Motor’s successful environmental strategy,” commented Sun-Young Kim, President of Kia Motors Europe. “Our Research & Development centres have comprehensive expertise in the field of environmentally friendly technologies, and our modern car manufacturing plants work to the highest eco standards. We will continue to use these strengths to ensure that our cars become more and more eco-friendly from generation to generation.”

The all-new Sportage for Europe is produced in Kia’s European factory in Zilina, Slovakia, while the Sportage for other markets around the world is produced in Gwangju, Korea. The Zilina factory was certified according to the ISO 14001 life cycle assessment standards in 2007 and was granted a certificate as an environmentally friendly production facility; Kia’s Gwangju plant was certified ISO 14001 in 2003. Many of the production and waste-management technologies in operation at Zilina are among the most modern in the world.

ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment
The ISO 14040 standard describes the principles and framework for a comparative, product-specific life cycle assessment (LCA). For cars, this includes the analysis of energy consumption and emissions and the assessment of the entire life cycle impact on the basis of all data, from raw material and component production to production at the car manufacturing plant right through to recycling. The environmental impact is assessed and the improvements on the previous model are shown in a radar chart.

TÜV Nord
The history of the TÜV (Technical Inspection Association) has its roots in the age of boiler inspection in the 19th century. The TÜV Nord, which is headquartered in Hanover, Germany, has more than 10,000 employees worldwide in 70 countries. The company’s activities range from technical inspections of power stations, aircraft and vehicles to food and animal feed safety standards and the certification of ethical management systems.