Thursday, April 1, 2010

Kia Debuts Forte Five-Door Hatchback in New York


Also making its world premiere at New York Auto Show today is a hatchback variant of Kia's Forte (also known as the 'Cerato' in certain markets). The five door model joins the current four-door saloon and two-door (Koup) coupe versions of the Forte.

Stylistically, the hatchback conversion of the Forte is far less adventurous than you'd expect from a company that has churned out some interesting designs lately including the Optima and Sportage.

We don't have photos of the interior yet, but Kia's release makes word of a revised center console, new paddle shifters for the automatic transmission and the addition of a push-button start.

Kia said that when the Forte hatch goes on sale later in the year, North American consumers will have a choice of the 2.0 and 2.4-liter engines while customers in other markets will be able to choose from the 1.6 and 2.0-liter powerplants.


0 comments: