Kia Forte Product Manager Hints At “More Exciting” Variant

Kia introduced the 2019 Forte in Detroit last month but the company is already planning a more exciting variant.

Speaking with Motor Trend, Forte product manger Derrick Ty said “We’re not done with Forte” and “We have more exciting products that are coming that I can’t speak of.” Ty didn’t go into specifics but he suggested “there’s a pretty good thing coming our way.”

That’s pretty vague but the magazine says Ty referred some earlier questions the publication had about whether or not Kia would offer additional liftbacks such as the Stinger. This could suggest Kia is working a Forte liftback but that’s unclear at the moment. However, we can expect an all-new Forte5 hatchback.

There’s also hope the ‘more exciting’ variant could be a performance-oriented model and Ty confirmed the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that resides in the Hyundai Veloster N would fit “size-wise.” It produces 275 hp (205 kW) and 260 lb-ft (352 kW) of torque but it seems like a long shot as Ty said installing the engine in the Forte would require some changes to the chassis.

That’s certainly disappointing as the Forte is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that is slated to produce 147 hp (109 kW) and 132 lb-ft (178 Nm) of torque. While the performance figures remain unchanged, the engine has been equipped with Atkinson Cycle technology and a cooled EGR system. Thanks to these changes, the car is expected to return up to 35 mpg combined which would be a 3 mpg improvement over its predecessor.