Inovev forecasts 70,000 units per year of the new Kia K4
- The Korean carmaker Kia is revising its model naming policy for Europe, adopting the one used in North America. Indeed, the replacement for the Kia Ceed, a C-segment hatchback with an internal combustion engine whose production ceased in August in Slovakia, is called the K4. This model also replaces the ProCeed and XCeed, which were derived from the Ceed.
-cThe Kia K4 is a 4.44-meter-long hatchback (a two-box sedan with a fifth door at the rear), quite similar to a station wagon (due to its third side window and vertical rear section). It is only available with internal combustion engines; the battery electric version is the EV4, produced in Zilina, Slovakia. It is uncertain whether the Kia K4 will be produced in Slovakia; there are reports suggesting it will be produced in Mexico, at Kia's Pesqueria plant.
- The new model, which will compete with the Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, DS N°4, Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3, Seat/Cupra The Leon, Skoda Octavia, BMW 1 Series, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, and Hyundai i30 will receive several engine options: a 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo with 115 hp available in gasoline or mild-hybrid (MHEV) versions, and a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo with either 150 hp or 180 hp . A full-hybrid (F-HEV) engine, which is not a plug-in hybrid, will be added to the lineup in 2026.
- The Kia K4 will have to try to revive sales of the Kia Ceed, ProCeed and XCeed, which have fallen to less than 100,000 units per year since 2023, whereas they reached 200,000 units at the beginning of their career in 2008. The Kia K4 and EV4 are expected to be produced at 120,000 units in 2030, including 70,000 K4s and 50,000 EV4s.