The Kia Forte is about to change not just its look, but also its name. As part of the overhaul it’s getting, Kia's compact sedan is becoming the K4. The new-generation model will be officially unveiled at the New York Auto Show at the end of this month.
In anticipation of that, Kia has teased the K4 with three images showing the model’s silhouette and hinting at its model's front and rear signatures.
Those elements are a continuation of themes introduced in recent years with other new or redesigned Kia models.
Originally, it was thought the Forte would become the K3, in fact we even once saw a car on a transport bearing the K3 badge. What’s more, the K3 name has been used elsewhere in the world for some time now to define the current generation of the Forte.
However, Kia recently launched a different compact sedan called the K3, so K4 it became for the next Forte.
The full design of the K4 will be revealed by Kia on March 21, before the model gets its global premiere a week later at the New York Auto Show. It’s expected to hit showrooms later in the year as a 2025 model.
As for the powertrains of the K4,Kia plans for them to be gas-powered, with a hybrid configuration coming a little later.