Here launches another global seller – Kia recently unveiled its next-gen K3 (Forte to us, Cerato to Aussies and Brazilians) compact sedan in an event held in Pyeongchang, thus completing the roll-out of current-gen K-series cars in Korea that comprises the K5, K7 and K9. We thank reader wmhasbullah for giving us a shout!
We’ve shown you pictures earlier; now we’ve got a whole slew of videos after the jump, so you can choose to either read, or watch, or do both!
Five trim levels are available on the new K3 (project code YD), costing between 14.92 and 19.39 million won (RM40,900-53,140). There’s a more pronounced Tiger Nose, courtesy of design chief Peter Schreyer, and a host of gadgetry including LED headlamps and Kia’s new-generation ‘telematics’ service UVO, which enables drivers to control their cars using their smartphones or other mobile devices. The airbag count is six.
Length, width and height are 4.56, 1.78 and 1.44 metres respectively, making the new K3 slightly longer, wider and lower than the one before it, while legroom improves through a 51 mm-longer wheelbase.
The engine announced at launch is a 1.6 litre direct-injected four-cylinder delivering 138 hp and 167 Nm of torque, which is capable of returning a fuel consumption figure of just over 7.0 litres per 100 km. Five-door and Koup versions will follow next year, as will a turbocharged variant.
Kia says it targets global sales of 410,000 units in the first year (this includes 55,000 in Korea) and 500,000 units by 2014. China and the US will get the new car next year – we wait with bated breath for news closer to home.
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looks quite nice :)
Bring it in faster to replace the fugly existing Forte.
I do not own Forte but current model look a lot better than other brands. Easy to mod & has impressive number of equipments. Eventhough I dislike KIA but their current line up is Good Looking. You must be jealous for not being able to own current model, hence such statement. KIA is doing good job for improving what is already a nice car unlike some Japanese nowadays except Mazda.
WHAT YOU MEAN FUGLY?YOU THINK ANY OTHER CAR CAN COME ANY CLOSER TO THE CURRENT FORTE?
YOU OWNER OF PROTON?ALL THOSE YOU LIKE THIS COMMENT FROM “fortress” BASICALLY DONT KNOW NUTS ABOUT CARS.GO TO YOUR LOCAL KIA SHOWROOM AND CHECK OUT THE CAR YOURSELF.
Hi Nando. Do be racist la. You don’t generalize all proton owners stupid.
i own a proton ok, why ? u look down on me kah ?
Yup..ugly..also lack of torque..what do u meant by other car? WV,Honda?still far man..
Dont insult our malaysian brand, just becaused u can afford more to buy JUST ur forte..just remember where u coming from..
I am a beautiful girl, I really need the Android App in the K3 to start my engine when i collecting my car from megamall parking.
don’t really fancy that front grille, maybe a bodykit would make it look nicer
but the rear is really nice
exactly how i felt. the grille isn’t that good looking but the rest of it is brilliant.
I always thought Kia has a better design than Hyundai……this car confirms my suspicion
Ah… The Kia K3/Forte……………A car that shows and proves how much Proton is lagging behind..
Haha well said bro. However as I’ve said b4, what is Proton to the rest of the world?! LOL
Step out of Bolehland and Proton is a total joke in whatever foreign country it tries to sell…
This new YD Forte is a solid proof that the Koreans have COMPLETELY overpowered the Japs already.
Seriously park this new Forte next to the POS FB Civic, Altis and the Almera… who is being the underdog here?
One thing though, that UVO system will not be available for export markets… :( It requires new infrastructure to be built just for the service… and such systems may not be compatible with export markets existing infrastructure.
The system is quite similar to GM’s OnStar available in the US. Car owners needs to subscribe to the service to make it work.
Also the Volvo On Call service
Proton salesmen overseas gonna shit brix when see this car.
Preve, what Preve? Say wanna be global car, but launch in Malaysia alone after almost half a year. Tok kok sing song only
At this rate, K3 will arrive in sinjapork before Preve arrives, despite this K3 launched waaaay later after Preve’s launch.
Sorry……I only said proton ,I do not think it COMPLETELY overpowers the Japs. Unless u have a extreme hatred againts the japs, you can’t ignore the fact that there are more Japanese car sold in the world compared to korean car. Most people like cars that are just reliable, they do not want fanciful “look at me” cars that attract attention ,the japs know that. There is nothing wrong with Japanese cars, they are not hideous just boring. For now bcuz ppl want simple easy to use car……the Japanese will still have the upper hand…….still……
How can kimchis overpower the Japs when all they deliver is cosmetics?
You underestimate proton, if you say that korean overpowers japs, I can say proton overpowers some japs car. Why? Just look at the current japs offers. SOHC engine, 5 gears auto, overpriced.
The price given is not valid here. You know the tax makes it pricier, even in Thai like new sylphy/sentra.
We don’t know the number yet, how good the engine is? Handling wise, i’m pretty sure proton is still better.
Not all people fancy those tiger nose. Have to wait and see it in front of your eyes. Like elantra, it’s only better in pics than in real.
Your comment shows that you do not possess much car knowledge.
Sorry to say – and I hope I don’t sound personal – the use of SOHC in Jap cars can be down to few reasons – Lower emissions, More torque at lower engine speeds which translates to better FC in City environment.
DOHC doesn’t mean it is good – similarly, fitting a turbocharger into an Inspira will not magically bring in good FC like VW’s DSG + TSI combo. Cars are a package – which is why I often discourage peers when they talk about car modification.
Unless if they have complete knowledge of what they are about to do – believe me, car manufacturers know better than the local accessories shop. (Not talking about those well-reputable tracking outlets.)
i would love to see other country made car like Singapore, could they make one like malaysia?
why oni compare with proton. how about the 60k Myvi?
i LOVE YOU BRO!!! WELL SAID….RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN PROTON IS BASCAILLY “ZERO”
THEY LOVE TO COPY AND REBRAND AND ULTIMATELY LOOK CRAPPY.HOW TO INVEST WHEN “SEMUA ORG DALAM MAU CARI MAKAN” PROTON IS CRIPPLED BECAUSE OF TOO MANY “IRRELEVENT PARTIES” INVOLVED IN MANUFACTURING THE CAR.EVEN IN ANOTHER 40 YEARS EVEN IN PROTON STILL EXIST WITH CURRENT GOV….I THINK PROTON WILL ALWAYS BE PROTON CAP AYAM PUSING.CONGRATULATION TO MAHATHIR FOR INVENTING SUCH CRAPPY COMPANY WHICH PRODUCE CRAPPY CARS.
what do u mean by ‘ zero r&d by proton ‘. the saga flx. exora and preve are developed by proton. isn’t that r&d ?
Recopy & Development la….look at Inspira
you should look up in the dictionary the meaning of rebadging
At least Mahathir comes with the idea on the National car… how about you??? ELEK!!!! pppoooodaahhh… again, boring… contribute le bro sket, rather than 100% all the time complaining… like I said, BORING!!!!
So KIA is just above pathetic P1 standard ?
No wonder copying here & there.
nice design. surely will be replacing forte very soon
Hope it will come soon to Malaysia after the election.
Bring in to seize market share?? May come in but sold with a 6-digit price tag
Converting Korean Won to MYR; the car priced circa RM40k up to 53k in Korea. How much will it be in Malaysia once Naza/Kia launched it… RM120k?
Don’t worry. If Naza still assembling Kia in Malaysia, the price will probably about the current Forte, provided that after the next GE the same old people still holding the power.
confirm it will be launch in Malaysia after election… :)
the car look nice, but i don’t really into front grill, to much
how come it…..driffs??
c-segment car only(RM40,900-53,140) ,can you image b-segment would be how much? at the rate range price we only get the tin kosong viva/saga,even thier offer full spec with perfect tech and safety.
bty good work pualtan expose the visible price.K3 just another wonderful car from kia,hope we can get GDI engine,cuz currently engine too bising(my personal bias)
no, not the GDI, if you want real power to compete with preve CFE, bring here the turbocharged one
Pretty sure the uvo service, the hd display at meter and features like auto park will go missing when it reaches our shore.. If lucky, might get the 2 din hu and sunroof
Depan ciplak BMW ! Belakang copy Audi ! Rupa rupanya Kerata KIAsu Korea ! What a losser car for those who can’t afford the real McCoy but still want to gaya2.
Every car company ciplak here and there from their rivals la…….one more thing….camne sedara tahu org yg beli keter nie tak mampu pakai bmw @ audi???duit memasing….selera memasing….
I don’t know what your comment is but I’m gonna dislike it anyways.
This beauty makes Honda Civic looks very dull
Stupid comment…
The stupid is strong with you.
Kia and Hyundai has ultra poor resale value.
They can look like Audi, but underneath, its no different than Proton.
The Japs are much better at real engineering and quality.
The stupid is even more stronger with you.
u actually mean the japs are much better at shortchanging customers and making big bucks from their overpriced outdated products that are even worst than proton.
Dear Sam, demographic changes. Nowadays, there’re lot more people out there ‘hire’ cars with hire purchase rather than ‘buying’ it. After certain period say 3 or 5 yrs, they’ll change to new ride. Resale value just contribute to the new car’s up-front. With full 5 yrs warranty incl parts, car makers take care of problems if any. In short, take Luigi’s quote in The Cars “look at me, here I am, lllove me…”, this is what more people are looking and Koreans really are taking at this advantage.
Just dream on. Korean cars RV are still poor after 15 years in the market (since the Sephia in 1997).
Just look at Sorento, 5 years lose RM130K
sam loo .. u really stupid . compare percentage is sama sama saja . kia forte 80k . honda 100k … sell kia 50k honda 70k . sama sama la.
Fore Kimchi fans, I am afraid there will be no good news for you when you sell your cabbage after 3 years. Lose at least 60% of purchase price
“1.6 litre direct-injected four-cylinder delivering 138 hp and 167 Nm”
this looks powerful on the paper. I wonder if in real life does it offer a better driving experience compare to other japs/local 1.5/1.6
then choose the turbocharged engine, hopefully it’ll be sold here.
Where is proton. Boleh???????
When it comes, shall we choose this or Saga for RM 40k?
you cannot that price here, proton also has been taxed
Fuel Consumption of KIA K3 (1.6 GDI, 6AT, curb weight of 1191 kg). Taken from KIA Korea website.
Combined: 14.0 km/l
City: 12.7 km/l
Highway: 16.1 km/l
Just like most fuel saving cars on the road, you the driver needs to practice good driving habits to archive such numbers
as a rule
– Always use top quality FULLY SYN oil of 30wt or thinner. Current Hyundai/Kia Gamma/Nu/Theta II engines are built for 0w-20 oil, so try to make use of them. Conventional mineral oil has no place in today’s high tech engines.
– Experiment with difference brands/grade of fuel to get the one with best economy
– Make sure all 4 tires are inflated properly at all times
– Make sure all 4 wheels are ALIGNED properly at all times.
– Accelerate smoothly and try to change to the overdrive as early as you can
– Ban fat people from riding in your car! LOL
That things many people know already
…but not many ppl apply
Curb weight : 1191kg? I don’t think so, what metal they use? milo tin? lol
You can check at their website.
http://www.kia.co.kr/vehicles/k3/specifications.aspx
Maybe extensive use of hi-strength steel chassis, advanced welding technology, aluminum block & head for GDI engine contribute to the weight reduction.
The 1.6 GDI engine has power of normal 1.7l. plus point it’s lesser weight than other C segment cars despite its big body. So probably it can reach 100km/h in 10-11sec. NO UNDERPOWER issue. Leave the sub 10s and 9s to the 2.0l version
i think it will be entering Malaysian Market only after “turunkan harga Kereta campaign” success… hehe
Thanks writer Jonathan James Tan for giving me some credit to me :)
RM40,900-53,140????? That is definitely persona price. The equipment that they have is so much advanced. I By right, if they were to sell it here, It should be 10k-20k difference (import shipping, etc.). Hope the government reduce the car import tax soon. Outrageous I say!
Cheap C-segment car. Cheaper than Protn Preve. But bad handling.
Trust me. I currently own a Hyundai and it corner badly. Not to my liking. My Isuzu D-Max corners accurately buat bad rear suspension.
That’s why I always DRIFT on normal road when reach the traffic light. I corner at 70kph, I control my car with handbrake and accelerator. I don’t use the main brake when I corner because it ruins the handling much more. I Drift because I want to avoid accidents. But of course, tires screaming, cops attracting.
And with the availability of physical handbrake in my Hyundai make my car fun to drive
That must be a very old Hyundai or you drive like a madman. I have driven a Matrix at higher speeds and have never experienced what you are describing. The jap brands that were sold up till recently did not have stability control and would also have a hard time taking corners.
Then again you could also just be a troll.
sure o not . proton is the lousy car
The Korean are aggresive. The Japs are busy with the micro islands so no time to look into new car developments.
bring it here quick…by next year?
Hey, this car looks exciting to be driven everyday. More features are added quite similar to the new Ford Focus.
True beauty. I hope this car will reach our shores soon. & when it does, I pray that the waiting list is short & fast.
please please please don’t do a direct currency conversion. the prices would only make my eyes water.
Protxx is far behind….protxx car just like Oppah “kampung style…”
ermm… i dont own proton…but i still think they are not far behind….its just reliability issue perhaps…. n maybe design wise…if u compare equipment level, its on par with forte..but with rm20k less
what’s with the front grille? it’s ugly.
I don’t fancy the car, except this “Five trim levels are available on the new K3 (project code YD), costing between 14.92 and 19.39 million won (RM40,900-53,140)”
This represent how much we r being…..sc***, plus munus. muahahahaa.
so sad why our PROTON cannot make it like KIA
may be a new chairman…
Lets hope that proton can partner Mitsu Again to make better cars.
A Jap model 1 generation back is 10X better than a “state of the art” kimchi
In Korea and any other countries, its call KIA.
In Malaysia, our nation call it NAZA
Nationalism to be Exact.
IMHO New k3 is 1000x nicer than current forte!
their national car cost RM40k-RM50K+ , how much is our waja or inspira cost us?? the national car policy make who wealthy ??
vios TRD is much better than this depreciating crap.
We’ll probably only get it in 2014. *Sigh*
Wow the actual price just RM41K-RM53K….HA HA HA What say you Proton????
Bye Bye PREVE…next year half PREVE owners surely trade-in to get this fantastic new Forte…
Hey, I just met you, this is crazy, I cost 53k, but.. taxes maybe?
yup preve without tax for cfe version is only 40k. what say you??
Naturally people will think of Preve when looking at this beauty. This is because we can’t see any sign that the Kampung car can catch up and how long the Rakyat can tolerate to drive outdated cars.
please say outdated to civic sohc engine
please remind yourself T&H is our nation well loved car, compare with same segment car, T&H are much more expensive yet can show we are capable and richer than who buy this cheap thing.
looks so….Elantra…
RM53K price from Korea…huh!
Come to Boleh Land price increase RM80K
The only thing CKD local part is Naza logo, the rest imported
Huh! RM30K for a Naza logo…world’s most expensive logo kah
Memang Gila-gila ini Boleh Land!
wow! New Forte are awesome!!
It will be more awesome for the buyer of your car 1 year on at 50% of current selling price
don’t be naive, you go to wrong dealer of course you kena sembelih
To proton…just rebadge it and sell 43k to 53k…..the 3 k i let you earn as ur effort of rebadging a great car to us, rakyat.
Resale Value of the current Forte, beyond Hailat now
yawwwnnn!
yes you can continue to suffer and buy ancient junk like dugong vios, and then ask your children to buy it and your grandchildren too….while the rest of the ppl have moved on and enjoy their new rides. gp get a life
My 3.5 year old Camry 2.4V is still worth RM129k selling and RM122k trade in
lol how much you lost every year? 15k?
Hyundai Veloster 1.6 GDi that has 103kW(138hp) and 167nM like k3 engine can do 0-100km/h sprint in 9.7 sec. K3 is bigger and heavier car, so might add to around 11 sec.
With 1.6 crdi (turbo-diesel) engine, kia ceed can do around 9 sec century sprint with light mod. So stock would be around 10/11 sec. K3 is bigger and longer, it might add too around 11-12 sec, safe to say
What the Koreans lagging now are in transmission and its tuning know how. Should they catch up with something like VW’s DSG… they ‘re going to be real German’s rival.
Can you pay for that price ? if KIA equipped with DSG or Tsi and selling about RM140K like GOLF will you buy ?? come back to real world Bro.
Catch up with DSG Technology? This is one famous for Kwai Tai in the middle of the road one. If kimchiland manufacture even worse
Wah..nampak garam tapi boleh lawan champion Neo tak kimchi ini ?
apa garam garam? tak cukup masin kah? hehehe
I prefer the Elantra MD than this, anyhow this is also looks pretty nice. =)
typical korean. just like samsung with the overloaded but useless features on the galaxy siii, kia does the same with this car. nice looking but who gives a damn whether a car can be remotely controlled using a phone?
Considering how well the Optima’s turbo version has been received in the US, I’m looking forward to the turbocharged variant.
How’s handling compared to preve?
And how much is a 2011 Forte trade in price is now?
Thanks Proton for re-badging the Mitsubishi Lancer. Now I can drive a totally awesome car at a cheaper price.
Stylish, sporty & hi tech.
KIA is picking up and the design is awesome and did saw few KIA upcoming cars all good.going international level.Germany start thinking :).But proton already lack behind way behind dont know what the R&D is doing..plan to copy another car?..haizz bring ler all the new design engineer and do something to bring up the proton name…minister can bring the korea sing to malaysia why not bring overseas engineer to proton and compete with others..