EUROPE is important to Kia. That's why it has cherry picked the continent's best designers and engineers to create a new generation of cars and why it's launching two new models at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

The all-new Optima Sportswagon is Kia's first D-segment estate car and will be available with a range of petrol and diesel powerplants.

It's an interesting new model, not least because it bucks the trend among mass market manufacturers

The D-segment estate has been under pressure for more than a decade. Drivers have swapped Mondeo and Vectra estates for SUVs and crossovers in their tens of thousands. Only Skoda - with its Octavia/Superb models - has managed to grow estate sales.

But the D-segment market is still important, especially for a company looking to break the company car market. Three quarters of all fleet sales in this class are estates.

The Optima has the same tempting blend of quality and affordability that makes the Skoda siblings so popular. It also has sporty good looks and Kia's cast iron seven year warranty. So what could possibly go wrong?

Featuring the same sharp lines as the Optima saloon, the Sportswagon retains the same width (1,860 mm) and length (4,855 mm) as the saloon, and grows by 5 mm in height (to 1,470 mm) to accommodate the expanded boot.

Inside Kia has gone all out to create a premium interior. The sportswagon uses a high proportion of soft-touch plastics, cloth and leather trim, along with metallic accents, glossy blacks and chrome. Kia says the car uses more soundproofing than any of its other European models for excellent cruising refinement.

Naturally it cops for the full range of 'smart' electronics including an infotainment system (8.0 or 7.0-inch touchscreen) compatible with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (a Kia first).

Kia has partnered with sat nav specialist Tom Tom for its navigation solution. This offers live traffic updates, speed camera alerts, local search and weather forecasts. In Europe, the online system of real-time updates will be available to Optima Sportswagon buyers free of charge for seven years after the car’s purchase.

The smart centre console is capable of wirelessly charging compatible mobile devices.

The additional cargo space resulting from the tourer bodystyle makes the Optima Sportswagon one of the most practical cars in its class, with 553 litres (VDA) of cargo space behind the second row of seats – 48 litres more than the Optima saloon.

A safety barrier net IS built in to the back of the rear seats and pop-up sliding luggage rails secure individual items which are likely to slide or roll around.

A low, flat boot lip, and a Smart Power Tailgate – which opens the boot automatically when the Optima’s smart key is located in close proximity to the rear tailgate – enables owners to load heavy items easily.

The Sportswagon goes on sale this Autumn and prices will be announced closer to the launch date.

Also making its debut at the Geneva Show will be the Kia Niro hybrid crossover.

Built on a unique platform, the Niro will use a hybrid petrol-electric powertrain which returns CO2 emissions of just 89g/km. The new model will also help Kia meet its 2020 global target to improve average fleet fuel efficiency by 25 per cent over 2014 levels.

Following its European debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the Niro is due to enter full series production at Kia’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hwasung, Korea in May 2016.

It will go on sale across Europe towards the end of summer, and – as with every Kia sold in Europe – will come with the brand’s unique 7-Year, 100,000 mile warranty.