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The donation of a second Kia Sorento to the Order of Malta has widened the palliative care and medical services network provided throughout East Timor (Timor-Leste) by the world’s oldest Catholic Charity.

Kia Motors Australia provided the Order with a diesel all-wheel drive Sorento earlier this year and last week added a second car to the program after reports on how successful the original assistance had been in extending medical help outside the towns.

“It is the perfect car for this purpose and this generous support from Kia will help the Order to reach many more people in need,” the Order of Malta’s first Ambassador to Timor-Leste, H.E. David Scarf, said.

“There are 13 districts in Timor-Leste accessed by a very poor road system, some taking six or seven hours to reach. Now, with the use of the car a trained palliative care nurse is able to visit many more patients, together with the nuns, and provide them with proper care and the necessary medication.”

Kia Motors Australia President and CEO, Mr MK Kim said the donation of a second car to the Order of Malta was simply and correct decision to take.

“The original car has quickly proven its worth in humanitarian terms,” Mr Kim said. “To be able to offer further support to the wonderful care being provided by the nurses and the counsellors is something Kia is pleased and proud to be able to do.”

Mr Kim said that while a significant portion of East Timor’s one million residents are still trying to rebuild after decades of hardship, it is through organisations such as the Order of Malta and their supporters that the future can be brightened.

The Order of Malta was established in 1048 when the Knights Hospitaller protected sick, poor and injured pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. Today the organisation is still known for its mission “to service the poor and the suffering” by providing services and facilities to support the sick, elderly, the handicapped and those who are marginalised and homeless.

The Order now operates in more than 120 countries across five continents. Worldwide there are more than 12,500 members, 80,000 permanent volunteers and 20,000 medical personnel.

The multi-award winning Kia Sportage has added another accolade to its growing Honour Roll by winning the OzRoamer 4WD & SUV Guide’s award for Best Small AWD SUV.

“The Kia Sportage Platinum has both the design elements of form and function brilliantly executed,” OzRoamer Editor Rob Fraser said. “It just shows how far Kia has come.”

After extensive testing the Sportage scored maximum points for Performance, Practicality, Fit for Purpose and Value for Money. The stylish little SUV dropped only a single point in the categories of Comfort and Behind The Wheel feel.

Judge Anthony Hood described the Sportage as “the outstanding choice in this price segment” while fellow judge Stephen Lawson said: “That combination of powerful yet economical 2.0L diesel and 6-speed automatic is hard to fault.”

In assessing the Sportage, Mr Fraser paid tribute to the work Kia has done in localising the suspension for optimised performance on Australian roads while finding a pleasing combination of ride comfort and SUV ability.

Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer, Tony Barlow, said the recognition of the Sportage’s range of attributes was particularly pleasing.

“Our customers and those who review and comment on cars for a living have been telling us how much they like Sportage since it was launched in the middle of last year,” Mr Barlow said.

“It is always pleasing to have the work you have done as a company recognised in open forum. This latest award is another example of that recognition.”

OzRoamer 4WD and SUV Guide is a bi-annual magazine published as part of the Auto Alliance Group. Mr Fraser said the aim of the publication is to review both 4WDs and SUVs in a manner that helps the reader to understand the concept of “fit for purpose”, a key criteria in the judging process.

Kia’s perpetual favourite, the Grand Carnival people mover, has continued its winning streak with recognition as the winner of the carsales.com.au People’s Choice Award for People Movers.

“Once again the Grand Carnival has proven a winner in the public forum,” Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer, Mr Tony Barlow, says. “The Grand Carnival has consistently dominated sales in the people mover segment of the market and the carsales.com.au People’s Choice Award only underscores that.”

One in three people movers sold in Australia during November was a Kia Grand Carnival.

“It is also especially pleasing that the Grand Carnival is the third model out of Kia’s seven-model line-up to win award recognition this year follow Sportage’s success in Drive’s Best SUV under $40,000 category and Sorento’s win in the SUV over $40,000 category at Australia’s Best Cars.”

The carsales.com.au People’s Choice Awards are considered an important measure of the strength of brands and models in the new car marketplace. Voting is based on genuine customer new car purchase enquiries placed via carsales’ network of sites, including carsales.com.au, CarPoint.com.au, Redbook.com.au, discountnewcars.com.au and prestigenewcars.com.au.

The votes were tallied over a 12-month period from November 1, 2009 to October 31, 2010 with each vote equalling one genuine enquiry on a new car via one of the above mentioned carsales network websites.

Research shows a very high correlation between genuine enquiry and new car purchases. This makes the People’s Choice Awards a valuable indicator of the fortunes of brands and models within the private new car market.

carsales.com.au CEO Greg Roebuck says the 2010 carsales.com.au People’s Choice Awards were announced amidst a strongly recovering new car marketplace.

“After a challenging period for new car brands, 2010 has seen us back on track to top the million new car sales mark. The 2010 PCA winners have benefited from having great product in the market at the right time,” Roebuck said.

“The results of the carsales.com.au People’s Choice Awards reflect strongly the sentiments and purchasing decisions of private new car buyers. Unlike other awards, the winners are not chosen by a select group of people but rather the general car shopping public. They are the result of the literally hundreds of thousands of enquiries made by new car shoppers.”