The new Kia Sportage crossover is to go on sale at Maidstone three months earlier than scheduled.

The full line-up of the model will go on sale at Maidstone Kia from November, but early production of RHD all-wheel-drive 2.0-litre diesel models means customers can get hold of one now.

One of the stars of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the new Sportage benefits from Kia's seven-year warranty and costs £20,770.

Kia's chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, said: "I want to create the situation where people see a Kia and want one firstly because of the way it looks, and then they discover that in addition to its great design it's also attractively priced and has a great warranty.

I want to give Kia global appeal, and I want that appeal to be about design above all else."