Kia Cerato News

Kia Australia is currently recalling 9534 examples of its Cerato and Seltos due to a potential engine defect that increases the risk of vehicle fire.These BD-generation Kia Cerato and SP2-generation Seltos vehicles were produced between 2020 and 2022. They are also fitted with the non-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.“The piston rings fitted to the engines of certain vehicles may not meet manufacturing specifications, and could cause engine failure and vehicle stalling,” said the company in its recall notice.“A damaged engine may result in the vehicle stalling and/or engine oil leaking, increasing the risk of an accident or vehicle fire causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”9534 vehicles affectedVIN list is attached hereOriginal recall notice is attached hereOwners of an affected Kia Cerato or Seltos are being urged to content their preferred Kia dealer “immediately” to schedule an appointment to have the engine inspected and replaced if damaged, free of charge.An engine control unit (ECU) software update will also be applied during the inspection as an “additional data monitoring tool to detect early signs of engine failure”.For more information, call Kia Customer Service on 131 542.Ford Australia is also recalling 2039 examples of its Mustang sports car due to a manufacturing defect that may cause the fuel supply to become impaired.This recall affects Ford Mustang examples produced between 2021 and 2022.2039 vehicles affectedVIN list is attached hereOriginal recall notice is attached here"Due to a manufacturing defect, the fuel pump impeller may not operate as intended," said the company in its recall notice."If this occurs, it could impair the fuel supply to the engine and result in a loss of motive power whilst driving."If you own an affected vehicle, Ford Australia will contact you in writing, requesting you to contact an authorised Ford dealer to have the fix rectified, free of charge.For more information, you can contact any authorised Ford dealer or the Ford Customer Relationship Centre on 133 673.

If you are keen on buying a Kia Cerato, you’d better get your skates on because the ageing small hatch and sedan range is just weeks from selling out.Kia has just replaced the long-running Cerato with the new K4, adopting a new global nameplate for its small passenger car range.That model is rolling into dealerships right now and instead of being produced in Korea like the Cerarto, and most of Kia’s other models, the K4 hails from the carmaker’s Mexican facility.Kia Australia said K4s are being shipped from Mexico to South Korea then onto Australia. That trip takes approximately a month.The K4 ushers in a new design inside and out, an updated platform, tweaked ride and handling, fresh multimedia and safety tech and an uptick in standard gear over the Cerato. But it also comes with a price increase of between $3530 and $6130 compared with equivalent Cerato grades.As the K4 starts to enter showrooms, Kia Australia Chief Operating Officer Dennis Piccoli said the Korean carmaker has “about six weeks worth” of Cerato stock remaining in Australia.“We expect to have a full suite of cars in market by February 1, across the country, not withstanding the issues that have occurred with logistics across the eastern seaboard, particularly Brisbane and Sydney.”He’s referring to strikes at the docks that have impacted deliveries of vehicles from multiple brands.The Kia website is showing drive-away deals on the outgoing Cerato S of $28,790, or the GT from $39,290.Piccoli says the new K4 small car probably won’t reach the sales highs of its Cerato predecessor, at least for this year.The ageing Cerato clocked up an impressive 15,502 sales in 2024, its final full year of sales. Piccoli said, given only the K4 sedan is on sale now with the hatch arriving later in 2025, the new model will have a “slower start”.“But then when we come through with the hatch in quarter four, we think that we will probably round out around 9000 cars - eight to 9000 cars.”As well as the hatch, expect a hybrid version to land soon — although Kia Australia refused to confirm it just yet — as the brand grapples with the NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standards) legislation.The K4 is yet to be tested by ANCAP for crash safety, but Kia Australia’s General Manager of Product Planning Roland Rivero said he is hopeful of a maximum five-star rating, “but the goal, or the target, is four/five.”That rating should be revealed in the next two months. There is some concern, however, given the K4’s mechanical cousin — the Hyundai i30 Sedan — only achieved a three-star rating late last year. It lost marks in the assessment areas of Vulnerable Road User Protection and Safety Assist assessment areas.With the new K4, the GT-Line replaces the Cerato GT hot hatch and sedan as the range flagship, but the GT-Line lacks the performance bite of the GT.“The GT versus GT-Line is really a global branding position, and in effect, with the likes of EV6 GT and even Stinger GT, before, to earn the GT badge required some serious performance,” explained Rivero.He said the GT-Line, however, was benchmarked for ride and handling against impressive rivals including the Honda Civic hybrid and the Volkswagen Golf R-Line.And if you are hanging out for a K4 performance grade, don’t hold your breath.“There's no plans for a GT at this stage,” Rivero confirmed.

The replacement for Kia’s long-running Cerato small car has finally arrived and it’s a pricier offering than before.But the new K4 small sedan adds a number of features over the outgoing Cerato that arrived in mid-2018, including updated powertrains, more safety and multimedia tech, comfort features, a new platform and design.The newly named K4 will face off with the segment-leading Toyota Corolla, as well as the Mazda3 and the related Hyundai i30 Sedan, and the budget focussed MG5.Only the sedan is available from launch, with the hatchback expected late in 2025. Spec and pricing for the hatch will be revealed closer to launch, according to Kia.The model grades are much the same as before, with the exception of the GT that has been renamed GT-Line, in line with other Kia models, and likely reflective of the detuned version of the warmed-up GT’s turbo engine.So, how much is the 2025 Kia K4 sedan?It kicks off in base S guise from $30,590 before on-road costs, which represents a $3530 increase over the previous base grade.The Sport and Sport+ are are also up in price, as is the GT-Line which at $42,990 cops the biggest hike, up $6130 over the old GT.Pricing for the Mazda3 sedan runs from $30,470 to $42,470, the Corolla is $32,320 to $40,260 and the i30 Sedan is $29,000 to $41,500 - all before on-road costs.All grades except the GT–Line come with Kia’s existing 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, delivering 112kW and 192Nm, and driving the front wheels via a six-speed torque converter auto.The GT-Line uses the group’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit, matched with an eight-speed torque converter auto. With power and torque outputs of 142kW and 264Nm, it is down slightly compared with the outgoing GT’s 150kW/265Nm figures.As a result, fuel consumption on the combined cycle is down by 0.2L to 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres. The 2.0L unit maintains the Cerato’s fuel use figure of 7.4L/100km.As well as a sleek new exterior design with a fastback silhouette, the K4 adopts a new platform, and the GT-Line gains multi-link rear suspension where the 2.0L grades use a MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear setup.The K4 also benefits from an “extensive” ride and handling development program to ensure it is better suited to Australian roads.In terms of standard gear, the K4 comes with a lengthy safety features list across all grades, including auto emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control with stop & go functionality, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, multi-collision braking, ‘Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist’, driver attention warning, ‘Intelligent Speed Limit Assist’, a front centre airbag and more.A Safety Pack can be added to the S for $2100 and that adds a 12.3-inch instrument display, a 5.0-inch air-con display, dual-zone climate control and an expanded AEB system with junction turning and crossing and direct/oncoming lane change detection.While the S comes with a 4.0-inch LCD driver’s instrument cluster, it does get a 12.3-inch multimedia screen (along with all other grades), over-the-air updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, rear-seat air vents and USB-C ports, digital radio, and customisable driver profiles and manual air conditioning.Each subsequent grade adds more kit, and the flagship GT-Line gains the most, including a premium Harman/Kardon eight-speaker audio system, a three-spoke premium steering wheel, artificial leather seats, eight-way power driver’s seat, paddle shifters, ambient lighting, heated steering wheel and a wireless charging pad.The boot can take 508 litres of cargo, more than the model it replaces, and its dimensions are longer, wider and lower than the Cerato sedan.The 2025 Kia K4 sedan is on sale from late January. Keep an eye on CarsGuide.com.au in late January for our first impressions of the new Kia K4.Prices listed are before on-road costs

Just when you thought utes and SUVs were about to completely take over Australia’s automotive scene, small cars are making something of a comeback.And it’s not the usual suspects like the Toyota Corollas and Mazda3s of the world that are bumping up interest in small sedans and hatchbacks. It is also electric cars.According to official year-to-date sales data to the end of November this year, small-car sales are up by 12 per cent compared with the same period in 2023. While that doesn’t sound like a massive increase, it represents the biggest percentage increase out of any SUV or passenger car segment.So what is driving this interest in smaller models? A couple of factors it turns out.The biggest contributor to the rise in sales is the influx of electric cars to the segment. Previously, the only electric small car was the Nissan Leaf which, while it was a pioneering EV model, never sold in huge numbers.Now there are a trio of EVs boosting the segment. The biggest selling small EV in Australia, by some margin, is the MG4 hatch. With 6079 sales, an increase of 140.6 per cent to the end of November, the MG4 is also the fifth best-selling small car.Sharp retail deals on model year 2023 MG4s, including a limited $30,990 drive-away price on the entry-level 51 Excite, helped boost interest in the Chinese-built EV.Another couple of small Chinese electric hatchbacks that are selling well include the BYD Dolphin which has found 1885 homes so far this year, an increase of 174 per cent over 2023.The GWM Ora has also nabbed 1182 sales, up by 175.5 per cent year on year.Two small EVs have seen sales drops, like the Cupra Born which has dipped by 47 per cent to 439 units, as well as the Nissan Leaf, which is down by 30.5 per cent, but that model is in runout in Australia following the end of UK production earlier this year.While EVs are doing the heavy lifting in the resurgent small-car sector, traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) small models are doing their part too.After a serious sales blip due to stock issues, the Kia Cerato is having a bumper year, with sales up by 187.5 per cent to 14,807 units, making it the second best-selling small car behind the dominant Toyota Corolla.The Cerato result is interesting given this generation went on sale in mid-2018. It is also now in runout ahead of quarter one, 2025 launch of its replacement, now dubbed the K4.The Corolla is also having a good run this year with 22,526 sales (up by 24.5%), ensuring a likely top 10 placing in the overall make/model sales chart. The Mazda3 is also in positive territory, up 13 per cent to 9618.A couple of other famous nameplates have seen sales declines, like the Hyundai i30 (11,616, -40.7%) and Volkswagen Golf (2593, -22.6%).At one point in history small cars made up one of the largest sales categories, but now with a 7.7 per cent slice of the overall market, it trails medium SUVs, 4x4 pick-ups, small SUVs and large SUVs.From 2011 to 2015 small cars ruled the top spot of the sales charts in Australia, with the Mazda3, then the Toyota Corolla taking top spot, before the Toyota HiLux ute came along and changed the face of the new-car market in 2016.

Kia’s Cerato successor is edging closer to an Australian release, with homologation documents showing the K4 has been formally approved for sale in Australia.

The Toyota RAV4 was Australia’s favourite vehicle last month, overtaking the incumbent utes and notching up 5933 sales. The Ford Ranger (4915) and Toyota HiLux (4747) trailed Australia’s favourite SUV, with Toyota once again taking overall honours. Mazda managed to keep its head above Ford with both maintaining a solid gap back to fourth-placed Kia. It was another record-breaking July with 99,486 registrations recorded enough to beat last year’s result by 2.7 per cent. Year-to-date, sales are at 731,898 — up 7.9 per cent on last year’s record numbers.“This is a remarkable achievement in an economy featuring widespread cost of living pressures,” noted Federal Chamber of Automobile Industries (FCAI) head Tony Weber. “It was also interesting to note that while sales in the Business and Government segments were up 13.7 per cent and 37.5 per cent respectively, Private sales were down 4.2 per cent,” added Weber. Hybrid sales were also buoyant up 88.4 per cent on last year with plug-in hybrid sales up 128.9 per cent. The share of electric cars fell slightly to 6.6 per cent. “While the first seven months of 2024 have exceeded expectations, the industry remains cautious about the future pending the implementation of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard coupled with the economic conditions,” cautioned Weber.Toyota is riding the popularity of hybrid vehicles keeping its head in first place with 22,705 sales last month and climbing back to an impressive 22.8 per cent market share.The battle between Ford (57,371) and Mazda (57,023) is nail-bitingly close, the former having a slower July (7749 vs 8476) but managing to hold second place year-to-date by a slim 348 car margin. Kia remains in a strong fourth followed by Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Isuzu, MG, Nissan and Subaru.As for models, the Corolla hatch and sedan had an extremely strong sales month with 2688 registrations with its sparring partner, the Hyundai i30 (663), nowhere to be seen as the company waits for the updated hatch to arrive (though with Kia Cerato sales up significantly to 1592). Then came the Isuzu D-Max ute, Ford Everest large SUV, the Mitsubishi Outlander and Mazda CX-5 mid-size SUVs and the MG ZS small SUV. The Toyota Kluger rounded out the top 10, beating the LandCruiser to the punch. Tesla’s sales were weaker in July with just 1353 Model Y and 1239 Model 3 registrations not enough to see either model climb into the overall top 10. By state and territory, the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia all improved their positions while the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria had small sips (less than two per cent). Sales in Tasmania were down 12 per cent.

Kia's shift into a more premium space shows it's come a long, long way since the brand we knew in the 2000s, but with it comes the replacement of its budget-friendly models into sleek, stylish small cars to rival Europe's offerings.

Kia Australia says “economic increases” are behind price rises for three of its most popular models, the Cerato small sedan and hatch, Seltos small SUV and mid-size Sportage SUV.

Kia has a longer history than you might think but how, exactly, did it get from selling $20k budget hatchbacks to $100,000 electric SUVs in just a handful of years?

One of Australia’s favourite small cars is getting a relatively small but consistent price increase, with the Kia Cerato now a few hundred dollars more expensive than before.