Kia Cerato 2013 News

A five-door hatch has just debuted at the New York Motor Show and arrives in local showrooms in October.  It is expected to share the same engines and specifications as the sedan. Lower and firmly set on its haunches, the five-door has all the design attributes of the sedan, from the new front grille, pronounced wedge shoulder line to the alloy wheels and lower bumper design. Inside the car shares the same dashboard, but adds paddle shifters, push-button start and a navigation system. Depending on country, the five-door is available with three petrol engines, a 1.6-litre, 2.0-litre or 2.4-litre and a new six-speed manual or automatic transmission. Australian cars are expected to continue with the 2.0-litre four.  Kia Motors Australia will confirm pricing and local specifications closer to the launch. Although the Rio remains the South Korean’s strongest seller locally, adding a hatch to the Cerato lineup is expected to drive more sales in the competitive small car segment, which is dominated by hatches. Kia Motors Australia CEO MK Kim has confirmed he Cerato 5-door hatch will go on sale in Australia during the fourth quarter of 2010. "It will complete the Cerato range by joining the 4-door sedan and 2-door Koup," Kim says. "It will introduce key mechanical, feature and cosmetic changes to the Cerato range and join the Kia Soul in the important Small Hatch segment which so far this year has accounted for 51 per cent of total small vehicle sales."

Headlining Kia’s stand is a preview of the new and stylish Cerato sedan, due for release to the Australian market in early 2009. It will be the first Kia to feature the 'new face of Kia' design from the pen of Kia's global chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, who joined the company in 2006 from the Volkswagen Group. Schreyer's corporate H-grille echoes his car design philosophy. According to Schreyer, design is the number one purchase influence but it is essential that new designs match both the Kia brand value and the vision of the Kia brand. In striking electric blue at the show, straight lines are feature on the profile, following the base of the side glass from the A-pillar to the boot, while the headlights are integrated into the grille; blistered guards visually lower the car. The new model will bridge the gap between small and medium cars with space, performance, features and value. Longer and wider than the current Cerato sedan, the new model is actually roomier than the first generation Toyota Camry. New Cerato will feature a new, efficient 2.0-litre engine with Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) for class-leading power and torque, delivering the pulling power and responsiveness of a 2.2-litre engine without the fuel consumption of a bigger engine. Kia is also involved in other initiatives, including sponsorship of the Australian Open tennis and a Kia Young Drivers program. Kia is also involved with a new 14 part TV series on Channel 10 called ‘Pat Callinan’s 4x4 Adventures’, where Pat spent three months driving a Kia Sorento CRDi around Australia.