The Kia K4 small automotive vary is ready to develop in Australia in the course of the fourth quarter of 2025, and the Korean model’s native product boss has confirmed it can embrace the debut of a brand new, extra environment friendly petrol engine possibility Down Below.
Talking with CarExpert on the Australian media launch of the up to date Sportage mid-size vary, Kia Australia’s basic supervisor for product planning Roland Rivero wouldn’t be drawn on the native prospects for the K4 Hybrid (HEV), which is but to be revealed, however he did affirm a extra environment friendly drivetrain is coming to the core K4 lineup.
“We’ve obtained [the] hatchback first – the K4 Hatch. That does undertake a brand new powertrain which you’re acquainted with from the Seltos… which helps us out from a CO2 perspective – that might be our first adjustment in gentle of NVES [the federal government’s New vehicle Efficiency Standard],” Mr Rivero stated.
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The powertrain in query is the Atkinson-cycle 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated with what Hyundai and Kia name an ‘IVT’ or Clever Variable Transmission. Successfully, it’s Hyundai/Kia-speak for a CVT.
As Mr Rivero talked about, this drivetrain is already on sale domestically within the Seltos small SUV, and likewise serves within the associated Hyundai i30 Sedan and Kona crossover.
As a result of its extra environment friendly Atkinson cycle, the brand new engine makes barely much less grunt than the present 2.0-litre ‘MPI’ engine (110kW/180Nm versus 112kW/192Nm) however is claimed to be extra fuel-efficient, helped partly by the totally different transmission.
“The CO2 on that’s higher than even the 1.6 turbo – I feel it’s a few 30g/km enchancment [over the 2.0L MPI]. Whether or not we spec it with [idle stop/start] is TBC,” Mr Rivero added.
The present 2.0L MPI engine with a six-speed computerized within the K4 Sedan quotes mixed gas consumption of seven.4L/100km and CO2 emissions of 167g/km, whereas the extra highly effective 1.6 T-GDI engine within the GT-Line with its eight-speed auto quotes 6.7L/100km and 158g/km.
For reference, the associated Hyundai i30 Sedan with the Smartstream-branded Atkinson-cycle engine and CVT quotes a a lot thriftier 6.1L/100km and 139g/km of CO2 on the mixed cycle.
Mr Rivero stated the brand new drivetrain might be utilized to each the upcoming K4 Hatch in addition to the present K4 Sedan in the course of the fourth quarter of 2025, probably coinciding with mannequin yr 2026 (MY26) manufacturing.
As but there’s nonetheless no phrase on a K4 Hybrid or HEV variant, which has been all however confirmed for a future introduction. It can nearly actually draw upon the 1.6-litre hybrid system used within the i30 Sedan and Kona hybrids, which makes 104kW and 265Nm.
Since launching earlier this yr, the Kia K4 has managed 1892 registrations to the top of Might. By comparability, its top-selling predecessor, the Cerato, managed 6323 registrations in the course of the January-Might 2024 interval. However final month, the brand new sedan-only K4 outsold the outgoing Cerato hatch and sedan with 577 gross sales versus simply 68, which was nonetheless wanting section leaders together with the Toyota Corolla (1576), Hyundai i30 (909) and Mazda 3 (735).
Nonetheless, the K4 presently lacks an ANCAP security ranking, which is a requirement for lots of the massive fleet clients that account for a big proportion of small automotive gross sales throughout the business, so the addition of a extra standard hatchback physique fashion and an unbiased security ranking ought to give the K4 a big shot within the arm.
“It’s taken just a few months… however now [the K4] is beginning to construct momentum. As soon as it will get its ANCAP ranking, it can open the door to fleets,” stated Dean Norbiato, basic supervisor for advertising at Kia Australia.
“Then we get the hatchback. We’re a hatch-biased market, so when that comes on the again finish of the yr we’re actually assured in that product taking on a very necessary mannequin within the Cerato, and that hatch specifically will certainly meet the demand and urge for food of the Australian market as properly.”
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