Today Kia fans all over the world are popping bottles of Kool Aid. Why you might ask? If you are one of them you’ll already know, but if not I’ll fill you in. It’s because the new Kia Forte sedan has been revealed. Forte will replace Cerato/ Spectra models and is under concrete plans to move 220,000 units per year, of which 50,000 will be in home market South Korea alone. It has taken Kia just over two years to bring the car to life, from paper to public, a remarkable achievement even in this day and age of CAD and automated manufacturing processes.
When we get under the skin of Forte we find a 124 bhp 1.6-liter gas motor, and a 1.6-liter turbo diesel plant of 128 bhp. A 2.0-liter version is on the cards to supplement the range. The cars are expected to be priced from around USD11,500 when they hit US showroom floors mid-2009, and a coupe variant will show up too. This is based on the Koup Concept seen at the New York Auto Show. The Korean examples will be fitted with a number of ‘bigger car’ accessories like Bluetooth, lots of airbags, and a navigation system with voice recognition.
But what do you WCFans make of the Forte’s design, inside and out? Is it cutting edge, does it rub you up the nose a bit, does it stand out in your opinion?
Kia Forte Fully Revealed
Kia Forte
Two 1.6-liter engines. Spectra/ Cerato gone
By Thami Masemola
August 26, 2008 2:00 AM
Filed Under: General, Kia
Comments
si1982
August 26, 2008 2:10 AM
@nurchus - i thought the same thing as I browsed through the pictures.
There is a bit of lancer and a hint of corolla (maybe?) but there is something very familiar about the design.
All in all I think its a nice design.
if they get the pricing right for Australia this would be a hit....
BabyMilo
August 26, 2008 5:00 AM
its Kia, of course it will be cheap... i mean thats all they brag about eg. at the moment they are advertising their new 7 seater (god knows wat its called) as the cheapest 7 seater in AU
coopergt
August 26, 2008 2:13 AM
hey pretty nice. i think i see a little of Ford Modeo in it as well. Interior looks like real decent quality. Good for them. Maybe they will buy Chrysler and give them something this cool.
si1982
August 26, 2008 2:18 AM
the tail lights remind me of bmw 3 series - i mean the lights on the kia are bigger - but the shape is very evolutionary to the 3 series tail lamps...
carcrazy1234
August 26, 2008 3:12 AM
almost all the cars this car mimicks 1. http://www.egmcartech.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/2009_acura_tsx_press_image001.jpg 2. http://images.turbomagazine.com/features/0511tur_01z+lexus_is250+right_rear_view.jpg 3. http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/w/y/09_a4_red_rear.jpg
all in all... well done kia... i'd definitely buy this car haha.
BabyMilo
August 26, 2008 4:58 AM
i think i have been abit hard on korean cars lately... so here im gonna try to be nice... well um... there is nothing nice to be said about the rear end, and the front well um... maybe abit bland
GK27V6
August 26, 2008 7:11 AM
What a great-looking car. I'm impressed. For those you that say it's a copy of other cars, all other cars that have been created in the past decade share something similar to another vehicle, there's only so much you can do in terms of vehicle exterior design these days. I know it's just easy to pick on Kia because they sell their cars at a way lower price than its competition. What's best about that is Kia is just as good as any other car out there today. (Had Kias since 2002 and literally not a problem with either of them).
GK27V6
August 26, 2008 7:14 AM
Also, for those of you who said the rear specifically looks Audi-like, then go take a look at the rear of the latest four-door Civic and recent Acura models. Many automotive manufacturers today have similar exterior designs to Audi.
michelin901
August 26, 2008 7:45 AM
those headlights are very civicish but overall a neat clean design. and isnt the head designer a previous audi designer? maybe tats why there are influences
theyazan77
August 26, 2008 9:35 AM
well, i guess the front headlights, the front design in general looks like the Honda Civic, but i like it.
abugatti
August 26, 2008 9:55 AM
i have to say it looks quite nice! yes yes it looks bit of Civic and some other cars as well....but! i think they excuted very well, it's overall shape looks pretty nice and solid. very impressive of that engine start button too!
afterace2
August 26, 2008 10:48 AM
totaly agree with the civic influence, but it's a quite nice car, Kia did a great job !!
brocky
August 26, 2008 11:06 AM
When it's a bargain buy, buyers won't give a damn what it looks similar to. Heck, it's pretty impressive.
Decypha
August 26, 2008 2:32 PM
oh well yeah the civic thing from the front most definitely... (I should learn to comment after I've taken a proper look at the photos)
Car_Nut
August 26, 2008 2:32 PM
Nice design! Think the Koreans are getting quite good at designing cars...
Schizo0223
August 27, 2008 4:11 AM
I think it was designed by a German...Peter Schreyer...who worked for Audi and VW.
Car_Nut
August 27, 2008 5:31 PM
Think the Koreans are getting good at employing people to design their cars... :)
Decypha
August 26, 2008 3:12 PM
okay taken a closer look at the pictures... I see some similarities with the Honda Civic, some angles resemble the Volvo S40... all in all though it's a pretty good design and it's nice to see that the Koreans have moved upclass... especially since the inception of chinese cars...
aston
August 26, 2008 3:41 PM
Oh my god, what a mongrel of a car. The design of this car is nice but not exactly original. firstly the headlights and tail lights are more or less a rip off of the Honda accords, the centre console of the dashboard is a ripoff of the new Ford mondeo's , the speedometer cluster has been lifted off an Alfa Romeo. tut tut Kia couldn't you find your own inspiration. The final nail in the coffin is the fact that this is a Kia and Hence will not drive as well as its competitors but will depreciate very quickly, would make a good secondhand purchase in a couple of years.
Alfafox5
August 26, 2008 8:29 PM
This is a poorly written statement that assumes a lot and ignores the ever evolving trend in Korean, and even Chinese cars. We are in a global economy, where parts are shared, ideas are shared, and technology has made even the cheapest car superior to some and on par with many newer vehicles. So I ask, how would you know how well it will or will not drive? Psychic I suppose?
GK27V6
August 26, 2008 10:20 PM
To Alfafox5: Finally someone posted a comment that was actually smart as well as it being true. You're one of the few people who actually know how the automotive industry works.
RobERob
August 26, 2008 8:26 PM
This car has TSX written all over it. If I were Honda, I'd be talking to a lawyer.
Tp
August 26, 2008 10:36 PM
Yes, the front is a bit familiar with Honda Civic, but over all looks really good and kind of its own style.
aston
August 27, 2008 12:53 AM
Alfafox5 and GK27V6 know nothing about cars, please think before you type. Parts are only shared within organisations wich are linked
aston
August 27, 2008 1:07 AM
Sorry I accidently added the comment before I finished. What i meant to say was parts are shared between organisations like the Volkswagen/Audi group because Audi is owned Volkswagen, similarly Volkswagen own Seat, Skoda and Audi own Lamborghini. You are mistaken if you think competitors such as those mentioned in my original comment would share parts. All the latest technological innovations in the automotive industry have been made in europe, the kia or any other cheap chinese/korean vehicles do not posses any more advance technology which make them any better, in fact they struggle in many cases to even get to the same level of build quality. I can see Alfafox5 and GK27V6 are obviously of oriental decent, maybe that is what is effecting your opinion on Asian cars.
Schizo0223
August 27, 2008 4:26 AM
While I agree with most of your comments...especially the depreciation part...I don't know about what you say about the build quality of these newer Korean cars.
When I go on business trips I usually rent cars from the airport to see what the local cars are like, and I've been impressed with the newer cars.
They're doing their homework.
They've come a long way in catching up to the Japanese in 20years.
It's just too bad that they are still having to refer to being the best value in the market to sell their cars.
Although the quality has changed...the brand image hasn't changed in 20years since the Hyundai Excel.
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As far as the coupe version, I think that Mitsubishi Lance... er... I mean... the KOUP would do quite as well as this one. But bloody hell, where have I seen this design...