Photo: Kia
While Kia unveiled an all-new version of its popular Forte sedan, the Forte5 hatchback still belongs to the 2018 model year. We believe that's going to change within the next few months, and it could bring with it a mild performance version.
Carbuzz has discovered an executive order with the California Air Resources Board for a Forte5 running the 1.6-liter engine. This doesn't automatically mean it's turbocharged, but you wouldn't want a naturally aspirated unit even on the smaller Rio.
There are several cars that are unknown or relatively obscure for American consumers which need to be mentioned here. First, there's the old "hot hatch," called the Forte5 SX Turbo. It's not available right now because the Forte5 is made in Europe, where the model it's based on switched generations.
That sexy white thing that looks like a Golf GTI is called a Ceed GT, and it's also got a shooting brake version. We're quite impressed with everything from the design to the acceleration, though it's not in the same class as Hyundai's Veloster/i30 N.
And finally, we have a contender from Korea called the K3 GT. It's like a hatchback version of their Forte sedan, but with a sort of Sportback trunk, sloped and long. All three of the cars mentioned above use the same 1.6-liter turbo delivering 204 PS, 201hp or 150kW.
Kia has denied rumors that it's working on a hot hatch. However, the Forte sedan will get a GT version with the above-mentioned engine during the 2020 model year, likely debuting at SEMA or the LA Auto Show.
In the meantime, Kia's crossover roster keeps growing by the day. As if the Soul and Niro weren't enough, they are working on the launch of a new model called the Seltos, while Europe gets the XCeed based on the above-mentioned hatchback.
There are several cars that are unknown or relatively obscure for American consumers which need to be mentioned here. First, there's the old "hot hatch," called the Forte5 SX Turbo. It's not available right now because the Forte5 is made in Europe, where the model it's based on switched generations.
That sexy white thing that looks like a Golf GTI is called a Ceed GT, and it's also got a shooting brake version. We're quite impressed with everything from the design to the acceleration, though it's not in the same class as Hyundai's Veloster/i30 N.
And finally, we have a contender from Korea called the K3 GT. It's like a hatchback version of their Forte sedan, but with a sort of Sportback trunk, sloped and long. All three of the cars mentioned above use the same 1.6-liter turbo delivering 204 PS, 201hp or 150kW.
Kia has denied rumors that it's working on a hot hatch. However, the Forte sedan will get a GT version with the above-mentioned engine during the 2020 model year, likely debuting at SEMA or the LA Auto Show.
In the meantime, Kia's crossover roster keeps growing by the day. As if the Soul and Niro weren't enough, they are working on the launch of a new model called the Seltos, while Europe gets the XCeed based on the above-mentioned hatchback.
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