At next week’s Los Angeles Auto Show,
Kia will reveal the 2014 Forte Sedan, which is the U.S. and Canadian
market version of the brand’s new K3 saloon that was first launched in
Korea in late September.
The same model will also make its
way to other countries around the world such as Brazil and Australia
under the Cerato nameplate beginning from next year.
Besides the region-specific
names, the other differences between the Forte, the K3 and the Cerato
concern the equipment packages, the interior and exterior décor and
trims, and the available powertrains.
The new Forte measures 179.5
inches (4,560 mm) long, 70.1 inches (1,780 mm) wide and 56.5 inches
(1,435 mm) tall, which makes it 1.2 inches (30 mm) longer, 0.2 inches
(5mm) wider and 1 inch (25mm) lower than the car it replaces.
The wheelbase has also grown by around 2 inches (51mm) to 106.3 inches (2,700mm), something that should benefit passenger space.
Full details about the 2014
Forte, including the engine and transmission range and a sales date for
the North American model, will be released in the coming days.
PHOTO
GALLERY
We don’t how many European or
Korean, for that matter, carmakers would like to associate one of their
top products with a Chinese brand, but Kia found itself in a legal
battle with China’s Qoros over the name of its new rear-wheel drive
flagship saloon, the Quoris, and it lost – at least in Europe and for
the time being.
The Korean carmaker introduced
the full-size luxury sedan in its home market as the K9, but in July
this year, it announced that the export version would be named Quoris,
which the company claims is derived from the English words ‘Core’ and
‘Quality’.
The only problem was that
Shanghai-based Qoros Automobile Co., a new car brand created by China’s
Chery Automobile Co. and Israeli investment firm Israel Corp., believed
that the name was too close to its own, which it had already trademark
in China, the U.S., the EU, and other regions around the world.
Qoros took Kia to court in
Germany, and this week, the District Court in Hamburg granted the
automaker’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the South Korean
company and the use of the Quoris name in the European Union.
“We are pleased with the decision
of the court as we succeeded in our first step towards protecting our
brand name,” stated Volker Steinwascher, vice chairman of Qoros. “We
look forward to the first public début of our vehicles at both the
Geneva and the Shanghai auto show in 2013.”
The Korean carmaker has not yet
released a statement on the matter, but it’s worth noting that Kia can
appeal the preliminary decision if it wants.
It also remains to be seen if Qoros has plans to take Kia to court over the Quoris in other markets around the world.
Source : Carscoop
PHOTO
GALLERY
If you were to take a quick look at the 2014 Kia Sorento, which is enjoying its North American premiere at this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, what you would probably see is the restyled front and rear ends, and some barely noticeable tweaks in the cabin.
Ask Kia, however, and the Koreans
will tell you that there’s much more than meets the eye to the revamped
Sorento. In fact, Kia claims that more than 80 percent of the parts in
the crossover are either “all-new or significantly redesigned”,
including the 3.3-liter GDI V6 engine producing 290 horsepower.
Then again, we remember some other claims (mpg-related) made by Kia and its sister company Hyundai, but that’s another story….
The 2014 Sorento’s new V6 is connected to a 6-speed automatic transmission with four-wheel drive offered as an option.
At the bottom of the range, a
2.4-liter GDI four-cylinder engine with 191hp and 181 lb.-ft. of torque
returns as standard equipment replacing the 2.4-liter MPI. It too is
linked to a six-speed automatic.
Also standard in the new 2014
Sorento is an Electric Motor Driven Power Steering with three modes
(Comfort, Normal and Sport) that replaces the hydraulic unit from
the outgoing model.
According to Kia, the 2014
Sorento’s rides on an “all-new” chassis that increases torsional
rigidity by 18-percent, improving both ride and handling.
Among other changes made to the
interior of the crossover is a redesigned instrument panel, which on
premium trims, features a 7-inch TFT LCD that projects a digital
speedometer flanked by analog instruments for the tachometer, fuel level
and engine temperature, plus new controls on the center console. The
Sorento also debuts Kia’s next generation UVO voice-activated
infotainment system.
In addition to the LX, EX and SX
trims, in the second quarter of 2013, Kia will present the SX Limited
edition that will be offered exclusively in Ebony Black, Snow White
Pearl and Titanium Silver, and feature a number of bespoke parts such as
19-inch wheels and Nappa leather seats.
The 2014 Kia Forte Sedan is yet another new model to receive its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show
this week. It will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013 offering
buyers a choice of two four-cylinder powerplants and will be followed up
by a five-door hatchback and a coupe model.
Kia’s new compact-sized sedan,
which our international readers may also know as the K3(Korea) and
Cerato (Australia, Brazil etc), slots between the Rio sub-compact and
the Optima mid-size sedans.
The Korean carmaker highlights the new Forte’s more modern design which it says is “inspired by European sport sedans” but born in California at Kia’s American Design Center in Irvine.
Under
the new bodywork, you will find a chassis that is longer (by 1.2
inches), lower (0.6 inches) and wider (0.2 inches) than the
previous Forte sedan. Furthermore, at 106.3-inch long, the new Forte’s
wheelbase is two inches longer than before for improved interior space.
Among other changes made to the
chassis that uses McPherson strut front suspension and a coupled torsion
beam rear axle, is a new electric power steering that replaces the
hydraulic system and which can be opted with the Flex Steer system that
offers three, self-explanatory settings (Comfort, Normal and Sport).
There are two available engines,
an entry-level 1.8-liter unit producing 148 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and
131 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,700 rpm, routed to the front wheels via a
standard six speed manual transmission or an optional six speed
automatic gearbox.
The EX model gains a 2.0-liter
inline four cylinder GDI engine rated at 173-horsepower at 6,500 rpm and
154 lb.-ft. of torque available at 4,700 rpm, linked exclusively to a
six speed automatic.
Base models ride on 195/65R-15
tires, with 205/55R-16 tires on 16-inch alloy wheels being optional. The
EX can be fitted with low-profile 215/45-17 tires mounted on 17-inch
alloy wheels as an option.
Kia’s next-generation UVO
in-vehicle infotainment system with eServices is standard and can now be
integrated with an optional navigation system, while certain models
will also be offered with LED tail lights.
PHOTO
GALLERY
