The Kia K4 will be available in North America, Asia, and the Middle East as both a Skoda Octavia-style liftback and a traditional five-door hatch. Engine options include a naturally aspirated 147bhp 2.0-litre and a turbocharged 190bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine.
The five-door hatchback has been spotted testing near Kia’s engineering centre in Russelsheim, Germany. Although a Kia UK spokesperson told Autocar that there are no current plans to sell the car in Europe, its viability in the market seems promising.
Kia K4
The Ceed, a similar model, continues to perform well in Europe despite its age, with combined sales of 60,478 units for the hatchback, high-riding Xceed, and Proceed this year, according to Jato Dynamics. This places it on par with competitors like the Ford Focus (47,582 sales), Peugeot 308 (51,656), and Toyota Corolla (70,701).
This indicates that the Ceed remains a strong product despite the market's shift toward SUVs. The larger Kia Sportage sold 87,164 units in the same period.
Given a typical eight-year product cycle, the Ceed is due for replacement around 2026. However, Kia has not announced plans for a new generation, suggesting it may look to other models to fill the gap.
The new EV3, an electric successor to the Ceed, shares similar proportions but, with the slower-than-expected growth of EV sales in Europe, Kia may need a combustion-engined model to replace the Ceed until EV demand rises. This could justify importing the K4, which is manufactured in Mexico.
Source: Autocar
