2025 Kia K4 revealed: Cerato replacement lines up for Aussie launch

March 28: K4 sedan and hatch revealed in New York

The new Cerato-replacing Kia K4 has now been unveiled to visitors at the New York motor show, in both sedan and hatch form. Which do you prefer?

Get the full details below.

STORY CONTINUES: K4 sedan revealed online

This is the new Kia K4, and if it looks familiar, you might be having flashbacks to the smaller K3 unveiled in August last year.

But, while the little Rio-replacing K3 won’t come to Australia, the K4 we see here is likely to replace the Cerato for Aussie buyers sometime in late 2024 – if the Korean brand’s recent reveal-to-launch timing is anything to go by. (Which would also be right on cue, following last June’s spy photos…)

Kia Australia, for its part, has yet to offer any official word on its plans for the K4, but the brand’s local arm has a reputation for taking every car it believes it can sell. With more than 185,000 Cerato sales since 2004, this new model would seem a shoo-in.

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That’ll be good news for sedan fans, with more and more brands abandoning the venerable passenger car format in favour of SUVs of all shapes and sizes.

And, while not revealed tonight, a hatch version of the K4 is expected to follow. Perhaps a GT, too?

In its sedan form, the Cerato-succeeding K4 appears to mix aspects from the stylish but sadly retired Optima and Stinger sedans with the brand’s more recent SUVs and sedans, which have all adopted a long hook-like lighting design at both ends.

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As an inter-group counterpart to Hyundai’s heavily angular i30 Sedan, the K4 leans to more classic lines through the profile, complete with a faux RWD look delivered by widely flared rear guards. A hot GT version of this new sedan, if we get one, should look decidedly mean.

"Every contour, curve and detail of the K4 has been carefully considered and crafted to adhere to Kia's design philosophy, Opposites United, bringing together clean faceted surfacing and technological details in a bold, cohesive statement,” says Karim Habib, Executive Vice President, and head of Kia Global Design.

“With the design of the K4, we are building on what we've learnt and making those values accessible to even more people, by bringing a product that is relevant and meaningful, to inspire the way they think, move and live."

He definitely said a bunch of words, there.

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Moving into the cabin, the K4 again continues the styling themes of the wider Kia range, revealing yet another new-design steering wheel (both Kia and Hyundai have around a dozen different tillers to choose from) with a unique offset logo position on the horn pad. Very Volvo 240.

A dual display arrangement features in the dash, pairing what look to be two 10-inch screens with a narrow climate control display between – an idea that started with the big EV9 electric SUV.

The sage- or pistachio-hued interior accents of the reveal car’s interior are an intriguing touch. Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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Technical details for the K4 are still to come. Its proper unveiling is set for next week’s New York motor show, so expect to learn more then.

Huge leaps in powertrain technology are unlikely, however, with the K4 sharing its platform with the i30 sedan – suggesting we can expecting the same 2.0-litre naturally aspirated and 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engines, along with a 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid.

Watch for more detail to come next week.