The Kia Cerato is an important model for the brand, given it has quickly become its best seller globally. Last year it managed to find 304 295 owners and that was with just the 4-door and 2-door Koup variants. So far this year over 225 000 Ceratos have been sold and with the introduction of the 5-door Hatchback, it’s sure to beat 2009?s record and increase to 1.2 million units by 2012.
“The latest Cerato is designed to appeal especially to those consumers with young families who prefer a 5-door hatchback for its style and enhanced practicality. The availability of this third body style for our small passenger segment category will enable Kia dealers to meet the needs of a broader range of customers. This derivative will boost total Cerato sales to an even higher level across all Australian states.” said Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer, Tony Barlow.
As with the Kia Sportage and the upcoming Optima, Kia says it has worked extensively to tune the suspension of the new Cerato. That means setup of the model’s suspension is unique for the country it is sold in, to deliver the best possible ride and handling for the prevailing road conditions.
The Cerato hatch uses the company’s 2.0-litre 4-cylinder Theta II engine that outputs 115 kW and 194 Nm of torque. That leads to a 0 – 100 km/h time of 9.1 seconds and a top speed of 190 km/h.
Despite the overall change in shape, the Kia Cerato 5-door still measures the same as its sedan brother when it comes to width, height and wheelbase. Nonetheless it has had its rear overhang shrank by 190 mm, meaning it measures a little smaller than before (4 340 mm long). It has a cargo volume of 385 litres.
In addition to the new body shape Kia will also add new styling elements as well as equipment and technical improvements (transmission changes, better fuel economy) to the 2011 Kia Cerato sedan and 2-door Koup variants starting from January next year.
