All-new Kia Cerato: Third-generation sedan

KIA’s most successful model, the Cerato (also known as the K3 in Korea and Forte in some countries), has achieved more than 2.5 million global sales since its introduction in 2004, including 445,000 units in 2011 when the second-generation model accounted for almost 18 percent of Kia’s total worldwide sales. Now, an all-new version of the Cerato sedan is scheduled to go on sale during this month (January) at Aljabr Automotive Showrooms in Saudi Arabia, to be followed by five-door hatchback and two-door coupe variants of the new model later in the year. Sporting a sleeker profile with futuristic and dynamic styling, the all-new Cerato sedan is longer, lower and wider than the current car, with an extended wheelbase. It features an all-new re-engineered bodyshell structure and will also boast improved quality, upgraded equipment with a host of additional convenience and safety features, a more spacious cabin with enhanced quality, improved refinement and an upgraded powertrain line-up that delivers class-leading fuel economy. “Cerato has become our brand’s biggest-selling export model, so the introduction of its third-generation is hugely significant for Kia,” commented Aljabr’s Automotive Vice President Abdulsalam Aljabr. The original Kia Cerato focused on quality and price, and recorded sales of 1.23 million units. The second-generation vehicle introduced in 2008, majored on design, quality and value. It has achieved more than 1.21 million sales around the world so far. “We are raising our game once again with the all-new Cerato, which adds emotional appeal to its established core values of design, quality and value,” adds Aljabr. “This all-new model will boost our competitiveness in the compact car segment — known as the C-segment in many countries —which is one of the world’s most important and closely fought marketplaces.” While creating the all-new Cerato, Kia’s designers and engineers have listened closely to customer feedback. The resulting new car is a bold demonstration of Kia’s determination to deliver models, which exceed customer expectations and provide a rewarding long-term ownership experience for Kia buyers. The result of 42 months design, engineering and development work and an investment of more than 300 billion Korean won ($ 250 million), the third-generation Cerato models will be manufactured at Kia’s Hwasung facility in Korea. From Arabnews