The Kia K4 small automotive range is about to grow in Australia through the fourth quarter of 2025, and the Korean brand’s local product boss has confirmed it should include the debut of a brand new, more efficient petrol engine option Down Under.
Speaking with CarExpert on the Australian media launch of the updated Sportage mid-size range, Kia Australia’s general manager for product planning Roland Rivero wouldn’t be drawn on the local prospects for the K4 Hybrid (HEV), which is yet to be revealed, but he did confirm a more efficient drivetrain is coming to the core K4 lineup.
“We’ve got [the] hatchback first – the K4 Hatch. That does adopt a brand new powertrain which you’re conversant in from the Seltos… which helps us out from a CO2 perspective – that will likely be our first adjustment in light of NVES [the federal government’s New vehicle Efficiency Standard],” Mr Rivero said.
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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 call an ‘IVT’ or Intelligent Variable Transmission. Effectively, it’s Hyundai/Kia-speak for a CVT.
As Mr Rivero mentioned, this drivetrain is already on sale locally within the Seltos small SUV, and likewise serves within the related Hyundai i30 Sedan and Kona crossover.
As a result of its more efficient Atkinson cycle, the brand new engine makes barely less grunt than the present 2.0-litre ‘MPI’ engine (110kW/180Nm versus 112kW/192Nm) but is claimed to be more fuel-efficient, helped partially by the several transmission.
“The CO2 on that is best than even the 1.6 turbo – I believe it’s a few 30g/km improvement [over the 2.0L MPI]. Whether we spec it with [idle stop/start] is TBC,” Mr Rivero added.
The present 2.0L MPI engine with a six-speed automatic within the K4 Sedan quotes combined fuel consumption of seven.4L/100km and CO2 emissions of 167g/km, while the more powerful 1.6 T-GDI engine within the GT-Line with its eight-speed auto quotes 6.7L/100km and 158g/km.
For reference, the related Hyundai i30 Sedan with the Smartstream-branded Atkinson-cycle engine and CVT quotes a much thriftier 6.1L/100km and 139g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle.
Mr Rivero said the brand new drivetrain will likely be applied to each the upcoming K4 Hatch in addition to the present K4 Sedan through the fourth quarter of 2025, likely coinciding with model yr 2026 (MY26) production.
As yet there’s still no word on a K4 Hybrid or HEV variant, which has been all but confirmed for a future introduction. It is going to almost definitely draw upon the 1.6-litre hybrid system utilized in 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 May. By comparison, its top-selling predecessor, the Cerato, managed 6323 registrations through the January-May 2024 period. But last month, the brand new sedan-only K4 outsold the outgoing Cerato hatch and sedan with 577 sales versus just 68, which was nevertheless in need of segment leaders including the Toyota Corolla (1576), Hyundai i30 (909) and Mazda 3 (735).
Nonetheless, the K4 currently lacks an ANCAP safety rating, which is a requirement for lots of the large fleet customers that account for a big proportion of small automotive sales across the industry, so the addition of a more popular hatchback body style and an independent safety rating should give the K4 a major shot within the arm.
“It’s taken a number of months… but now [the K4] is beginning to construct momentum. Once it gets its ANCAP rating, it should open the door to fleets,” said Dean Norbiato, general manager for marketing at Kia Australia.
“Then we get the hatchback. We’re a hatch-biased market, so when that comes on the back end of the yr we’re really confident in that product taking on a very necessary model within the Cerato, and that hatch specifically will certainly meet the demand and appetite of the Australian market as well.”
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This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
