Kia's Forte comes to the fore

Here's more proof the South Koreans are substantially raising the bar with each successive generation of their models.

The stylish compact sedan pictured here is the Kia Forte, and it's designed to succeed the Cerato (known as the Spectra in overseas markets).

The newcomer goes on sale in Korea in August, but it's not expected Down Under until early next year. Whether or not it will wear Forte or Cerato badges here isn't as yet known.

Entry-level models in some markets will be powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, but Oz-spec cars are expected to derive propulsion from a 2.0-litre unit (as is the case now).

More enticing still is the prospect of a 200kW 2.0-litre turbo version (as such a powerplant was slotted under the snout of the recent Koup Concept). However, there's no official word as to whether such a version is indeed in the pipeline.

For now, there's not much detail available on technical enhancements, but it's believed the Forte's chiselled lines clothe an all-new platform that should raise dynamic capabilities well beyond those of the Cerato.

Although only a sedan version has been revealed for now, it's likely a hatchback variant will follow in due course.

The crisp styling is the handiwork of Peter Schreyer (the same bloke who brought us the Volkswagen New Beetle and Audi TT) and it appears to draw inspiration from Honda's Euro Accord and Euro Civic.

Its arrival would be a timely one for Kia Australia as local sales of the Cerato have slipped markedly over the past 18 months. The model found just 2566 buyers last year, compared with 4134 in 2006.

The slide has continued this year as the Cerato's YTD sales tally of 806 units (until the end of May) compares with a figure of 1165 for the same period last year.

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