S. Koreans increasingly prefer 'compact' SUVs

South Korean automakers sold 49,495 units of compact SUVs in the third quarter of this year, topping all other types of vehicles.

The new sales figure almost doubled last year's third-quarter sales of 25,356 units of compact SUVs, largely attributed to their bulked-up size.

Many compact SUVs in South Korea are almost as large as midsize SUVs.

Kia Corp.’s all-new Sportage SUV is now 175 millimeters longer than the previous model at 4,660 millimeters long.

Its wheelbase is already 2,755 millimeters long, which is 85 millimeters longer than the previous model

The Sportage SUV's size is now almost equivalent to Hyundai Motor Co.’s Santa Fe SUV, which is 4,785 millimeters long with a wheelbase of 2,765 millimeters.

The wheelbases of compact SUVs Hyundai IONIQ 5 all-electric model is 3,000 millimeters, surpassing the size of a medium-sized SUV.