More often than not, it’s quite easy to determine what cars are caught by our spy photographers, but there are times when we just cannot make heads or tails what has been captured. This is one of those times – while it’s quite obvious that the car shown here is a Kia sedan, we have no idea which one it is.
The overall size of the car and the presence of five-lug wheels suggest that it is a C-segment offering, rather than a next-generation Rio Sedan. However, the rather milquetoast shape and proportions mean that it is unlikely to be a replacement for the stylish Cerato, even though that car is getting a little long in the tooth now – it was facelifted in 2015.
Our best guess is that the car is a budget sedan headed for China, where it will likely replace the first-generation Cerato (sold over here in five-door form as the Spectra5). That car is amazingly still in production in the Middle Kingdom, alongside the Forte and the current Cerato; the latter is badged as the K3 there.
The car is said to have been spotted around the same time as the China-only Hyundai Celesta, essentially a rebodied fourth-generation Elantra/Avante. Given that Kia is Hyundai-owned and shares the same engines and platforms as its parent company, it would only make sense that this car is Kia’s version of the Celesta. Expect it to share the Hyundai’s 122 hp 1.6 litre engine as well as six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes.
Alternatively, this car could be destined for Europe as a budget C-segment sedan, slotting under the cee’d as a more affordable entry-level sedan. This particular market is burgeoning with offerings such as the Fiat Tipo and Renault Fluence.
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Even kia is no match for my cutting-edge P2. We no need do camo test anymore.
Woi Kia! Pls come to the 21st century of car making. Its all VR now.
Budget model or not. I don’t mind a budget car as Big as a C-segment model with either 6-speed auto or CVT & a 1.6 DVVT engine that has the current Led lightings. Throw in 2 airbags as the base model with VSC as optional & price it like our P1 Preve.
Potential car model for potential market