I had a friend with a 1997 Kia Sportage whose dad constantly said that Kia was supposed to make them for Ford, who backed out, so Kia sold them under their own label, and when those were successful, Mazda made the Tribute and then Ford had the Escápe.
You speak human?
According to the dad, Kia made the Sportage better because it was supposed to be a Ford, so the same might apply to the Aspire.