After the release of two teaser sketches on Monday, Kia dropped the first real-life images of its upcoming compact sedan that will be sold under a trio of different names around the world.
In North America, it will be offered as the 2014 Forte, while in Australia, Brazil and other overseas markets as the new Cerato, and in Kia’s home market of South Korea, as the K3 alongside the K5 (Optima), K7 (Cadenza) and K9 (Quoris)
The new photos, which are set on a background of portraits, show a car that is cosmetically, and possibly mechanically related to the European market Cee’d, which will also form the base for another new Kia model teased today, the Carens / Rondo MPV replacement.
After going on sale in Korea this fall, the new sedan model will appear at Kia dealerships in many overseas markets during the first quarter of 2013, and will be followed by five-door hatchback and two-door coupe variants.
The Forte / Cerato is a very important model for Kia as the current version was the brand’s bestselling nameplate in 2011 with more than 445,000 examples sold worldwide.
PHOTO GALLERY
