The Kia K4 Small Car Range will grow in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2025, and the local product boss of the Korean brand has confirmed that it will include the debut of a new, more efficient option for petrol engine.
Creeks with Carexper In the Australian media launch of the updated Sportage Mid-Size Range, the General Manager of Kia Australia for product planning Roland Rivero would not be attracted to the local prospects for the K4 Hybrid (HEV), which still has to be unveiled, but he confirms that a more efficient powertrain comes to the Kern K4-line-up.
‘We have it [the] Hatchback First – The K4 Hatch. That does include a new powertrain that you know from the Seltos … which helps us from a CO2 perspective – that will be our first adjustment in the light of Nves [the federal government’s New vehicle Efficiency Standard]”Said Mr. Rivero.
Hundreds of new cars are available via Carexper now. Get the experts by your side and score a lot. Browse now.
The powertrain in question is the Atkinson-Cycle 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine linked to what Hyundai and Kia call an ‘IVT’ or intelligent variable transmission. The Hyundai/Kia speak for a CVT is effective.
As Mr Rivero said, this powertrain is already for sale locally in the Seltos Small SUV, and also serves in the corresponding Hyundai i30 Sedan and Kona Crossover.
Due to the more efficient Atkinson cycle, the new engine makes a little less growl than the existing 2.0-liter ‘MPI’ engine (110 kW/180 Nm versus 112 kW/192NM) but it is claimed that it is fuel-efficient, partly helped by the different transmission.
“The CO2 on that is better than even the 1.6 turbo – I think it is about an improvement of 30 g/km [over the 2.0L MPI]. Whether we specify it with [idle stop/start] Is TB, “Mr Rivero added.
The current 2.0L MPI motor with a six-speed gearbox in the K4 Sedan quotes combined fuel consumption of 7.4l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 167 g/km, while the more powerful 1.6 T-GDI motor in the GT line with its eight-speed commuters 6.7l/km.
For reference, the corresponding Hyundai i30 Sedan with the SmartStream brand Atkinson-Cycle Engine and CVT quotes a much sparing 6.1l/100 km and 139 g/km CO2 on the combined cycle.
Mr Rivero said that the new powertrain will be applied to both the upcoming K4 -Luik and the existing K4 -Sedan during the fourth quarter of 2025, probably coinciding with model Year 2026 (My26) production.
For the time being there is still no word about a K4 -Hybrid or HEV variant, which has been almost confirmed for a future introduction. It will almost certainly draw from the 1.6-liter hybrid system used in the i30 Sedan and Kona Hybrids, which makes 104 kW and 265 Nm.
Since the launch earlier this year, the KIA K4 1892 has managed registrations until the end of May. Ter vergelijking: de best verkopende voorganger, de Cerato, beheerde 6323 registraties tijdens de periode van januari-mei 2024. Maar vorige maand heeft de nieuwe Sedan-alleen K4 de uitgaande Cerato Hatch en Sedan overtroffen met 577 verkoop versus slechts 68, die niettemin tekort kwam aan segmentleiders, waaronder de Toyota Corolla (1576), Hyundai I30 (909) and Mazda 3 (735).
However, the K4 is currently missing an ANCAP safety assessment, which is a requirement for many of the large fleet customers who represent a large part of the sale of small cars in the industry, so the addition of a more popular hatchback style and an independent safety rating should give the K4 a significant shot in the arm.
‘It took a few months … but now [the K4] Momentum starts to build up. As soon as it has its ANCAP assessment, it will open the door for fleets, “said Dean Norbiato, general manager for marketing at Kia Australia.
“Then we get the hatchback. We are a Hatch-Biased market, so when that comes at the back of the year, we are really confident that that product takes over a really important model in the Cerato, and in particular that in particular will certainly meet the demand and appetite of the Australian market.”
Are you hanging around for more efficient powertrains in the Kia K4? Tell us in the comments
MORE: Everything Kia K4
