The all-new version of the Kia Cerato compact sedan, also known as Forte in some countries and as the K3 in Korea, has been revealed. It took long enough for Kia to get their own version of their parent company’s ground-breaking new Hyundai Elantra.
Kia Motors will introduce the next-generation Cerato compact sedan later this year in its home market of Korea under the name ‘K3’. Still to be known as the Cerato elsewhere, the original was Kia’s global best-seller in 2011.
When Kia launched their all-new flagship, a rear-wheel-drive fullsize sedan based on the Hyundai Genesis, they named it the Kia K9 for the Korean market, but held off on releasing its international name. Now they have, and it’s called the Kia Quoris.
In a bid to compete head-to-head with the European luxury brands, Kia has revealed further details of their all-new flagship model, based on their first ever rear-wheel-drive platform.
Kia, besides its sister-concern Hyundai, has been in a phase of rapid evolution over the past few years, rolling out several new models which are far superior than their predecessors and strong contenders to the current competition. One such new vehicle from the stables of Kia, is the all-new 2012 Kia Optima. First introduced in the UAE through an official media drive-event during late 2010, the new Optima has managed to gain respectable popularity in the mid-size segment solely due to factors such as affordability, build quality, value for money and visually-appealing designs. Nevertheless, it is still underrated when it comes to comparisons against its overpriced Japanese competitors.
Kia has released the first official photos of their all-new flagship sedan to be launched during the first half of this year in Korea. Referred to by its codename ‘KH’ until now, the company also confirmed that the Korean-market name will be K9, while the name for other markets as well as overseas release dates will be revealed later this year.
A Kia Optima Hybrid has set a new Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption in a hybrid gasoline vehicle (which is a new category) by driving through 48 adjoining U.S states. In order to qualify, the Optima was required to achieve a minimum of 4.53 litres/100 km.
We got a chance to briefly test-drive the 2011 Kia Cerato Koup at the Dubai dealership when we went in as potential customers. Oh my, from where to where the Kias have come – what a car the Cerato Koup is! For the first time ever, I found a vehicle that has its roots in Asia while having a pure European character – rivalling some of the European marques!
Al Majid Motors, the Kia dealer in the UAE, officially launched the all-new 2012 Kia Picanto at their showroom in Dubai, although the car has been quietly on sale for a month now.
Kia has come such a long way in such a short time. Once the maker of unreliable tin cans that wouldn’t sell even though cheap, now they are among the best carmakers in the business, with class-leading build quality, ground-breaking styling and still keeping it all relatively cheap. Their bestseller in the UAE is obviously the Kia Sportage. Out since late last year, the 2011 model is already a common sight on Dubai roads. So when we picked up this white tester, we knew we weren’t going to come up with a convincing review. Many people were already convinced.