Kia is preparing to showcase to the world its all-new fourth-generation Kia K3 in Mexico this coming August 8. And just in case the name isn’t ringing a bell, it is essentially what the Kia Cerato is known as in its home market – Korea.
The company has also given the public a glimpse of its upcoming sedan’s rear lights, which feature an inverted boomerang shape. The rear lights also stand out as it extends to the middle.
This is confirmed by spy shots of the upcoming Kia K3 that have been shared online, as the rear lights indeed extend to the middle, close to where the Kia logo sits. Interestingly, the surface of the area around the rear lights is executed in a rather angular manner, sort of origami-like.
The overall rear design of the car gives it a much more mature look, which is different from the outgoing model’s sporty execution. In fact, it even somewhat reminds us of the Volvo S90’s rear design.
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As with the trend with many sedans nowadays, the all-new Kia K3 features a fastback-like design and is fitted with a shark fin antenna up top. The dual-tone star-shaped wheels found on the upcoming Civic-fighter remind us of the ones the new Sonata wears.
By looking at spy shots of the car that have surfaced online, the fourth-gen Kia K3 features a long bonnet, with its headlights positioned on the front bumper. But come to think of it, isn’t this supposed to be a Hyundai thing? Just take a look at the Sonata and Azera, or the Kona, Creta, and Palisade we have in Malaysia.
Overall, the new Kia C-segmenter looks to be much bigger than the Cerato we once knew. However, it is still too early to jump to any conclusions at this moment. But based on what we have seen so far, the car certainly looks all grown up and has morphed into a different… well, car.
Closer to home, the Kia Cerato was once sold in Malaysia, competing against the likes of the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis, Mazda 3, and even the Nissan Sylphy. The car was well-known and liked by Malaysians for its strategic price tag, and its abundance of features such as heated and ventilated seats with memory functions, which were things unseen in its segment at the time.
Should Kia bring back the K3 to the Malaysian market? Let us know in the comments.
