Kia K4 News

Kia set a sales record in Australia last year and the company’s boss has plans to smash that record again in 2025.

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

What makes a car important? Depending on the brand, important can mean a lot of different things.It could be its profitability or maybe it’s the new technology it will bring or even a new image it could create for a brand.So picking the most important new models from Australia’s biggest brands isn’t always easy, but looking ahead to what’s headed our way in 2025 one common theme emerged - sales.It seems obvious, it’s important that the models each brand offers sell, but in the case of these five there is an extra layer of importance beyond just the volume they will or won’t do.To say the Ranger is important to the success of Ford Australia is an understatement. Sales of the ute account for more than 60 per cent of its total volume, and that’s before factoring in the Everest SUV spin-off.Ford has put a lot of money and resources behind this new plug-in hybrid version of the Ranger, knowing that it needs to cut its fleet emissions as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is introduced in 2025.If Ford can get its marketing and sales staff to successfully push the Ranger PHEV it sets the brand up for a bright, lower-emissions future. But if they can’t, it could become a very expensive white elephant for the brand.Toyota hasn’t said too much on the record, but all signs point to a new RAV4 arriving by the end of 2025. The popular SUV usually has a six-year lifespan and the current iteration was launched in 2019, so in theory it’s time is up.What will we see from the new RAV4 - will it be more of the same or a shift upmarket like we’ve seen with the CH-R? The former is far and away the most likely, although don’t be surprised if inflation drives the price up slightly, as the RAV4 has become the brand’s bedrock passenger vehicle.There is a possibility it will follow the Camry and go for an all-hybrid line-up, but that would undoubtedly drive the entry-price up and Toyota is probably hesitant to do that if it can be avoided. It should have enough hybrids to help offset its HiLux and LandCruiser sales under NVES.Why is a small car so important in 2025? Especially when Kia is set to launch its all-new Tasman ute? Well, because of sales.The K4 is the replacement for the Cerato which, despite all the hype around SUVs and utes, is still Kia Australia’s second best-selling model (behind the Sportage SUV, of course). If the more polished-looking K4 carries a significant price rise, though, that could dent its market appeal and leave Kia with a sudden drop in its overall volume.Small cars like the Cerato and Toyota Corolla still do decent volumes, in large part because they are affordable and appeal to a sizeable number of people that don’t want a bigger car. Pricing the K4 right will be the most important challenge for Kia Australia in 2025, regardless of what happens with the Tasman.This new baby of the Hyundai family is due in the early months of 2025 and will bring with it a lot of expectations and new hope. While we’re still waiting for official details (at the time of publication) the speculation is it will carry a sub-$40k price tag. That would be a big deal for Hyundai in its fight against the influx of affordable electric small cars from China - such as the GWM Ora, BYD Dolphin and MG4.But more than that, the Inster needs to draw a younger audience to Hyundai. The brand has deliberately ditched its ‘cheap and cheerful’ image for a more premium range. But there’s no doubt many current Tucson, Santa Fe and Staria drivers probably had an Excel or Accent in their past.The Inster is unapologetically youth-targeted, so if it can be priced right it could be critical in reviving Hyundai’s chances with a fresh audience for years to come.The Chinese brand may be proudly celebrating its improved new generation of vehicles, including the recently launched ZS Hybrid+, but the reality is its volume aspirations are tied to affordability. Which is where the rest of the ZS will play such a crucial role when it arrives in early 2025.While the hybrid offers a good value package, its mid-$30k price range is a big step up from the sub-$25k entry-level ZS of old. Introducing at least two (but preferably three) sub-$30,000 models will be crucial to maintaining the ZS as the best-selling small SUV in the country.

The small-car segment is stagnant at the moment and consumers are starting to wonder where the replacements for the ageing Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 are, amongst others. Well, some are coming, others may not, and Kia may just have the answer you seek.

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.