Heating up
Kia has lifted the lid on its warmed-up Cerato GT sedan that is expected to land in Australia early next year alongside the already revealed GT hatchback.
Revealed on Kia’s native consumer website in South Korean K3 guise, the sedan carries the same styling flourishes as the GT hatch that was outed last month, including its chrome-look 18-inch alloy wheels, beefed-up front bumper and dark-chrome and red grille.
It also gains black exterior mirror caps and dual rear exhaust, while inside it features red stitching on the upholstery and steering wheel, a flat-bottom steering wheel and sporty seats.
Under the bonnet is the 150kw265nm 1.6-litre turbocharged T-GDI petrol engine, borrowed from the related Hyundai i30 SR, as well as other Kia and Hyundai models.
Performance figures are yet to be confirmed but it will be offered, in Korea at least, with a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The Cerato GT uses a multi-link rear suspension set-up, which could give it a sportier edge compared with the torsion beam system in regular Australian-spec Cerato variants.
It will be offered with larger front disc brakes and an electric sound generator that pumps synthetic engine noise into the cabin for a sporty feel.
As well as the Hyundai i30 and Elantra SR, other warmed-up smallcar rivals include the Mazda3 SP25 and the European Renault Megane GT.
It will also fill a gap in Kia’s line- up that was left after the company discontinued the three-door Pro_cee’d GT in 2015, after the slow-selling hot hatch was deemed too pricey to import from Europe.
Given the Cerato GT will be sourced from South Korea, it should be more cost-effective for Kia Australia this time around.
Kia launched the new-generation Cerato sedan in June this year and the hatchback is expected to land before the end of the year.
It is unclear if the GT will hit Australian shores in time for the Australian Open tennis championships, which as a major sponsor, Kia often leverages to launch a new model.
Cerato sales are steady to the end of September this year, up just 0.4 percent on the same period last year with 14,725 sold.
It is running fifth in the segment behind the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, the i30 and the Volkswagen Golf and is well ahead of sixth-placed Honda Civic.
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