The Sephia used a chassis design developed entirely by Kia, a first for the company, but the first-generation Sportage was based on the third-generation Mazda Bongo van platform. The 1995 Sportage ...

The Sportage was developed during a period when Kia was collaborating with Ford and Mazda; it shared a platform with the Mazda Bongo, a van and pickup built by Mazda primarily for its domestic market.