KIA has become an Australian success story with ambitions to sell 35,000 cars here in 2005, across a range that includes a popular mini-car, people-mover and light commercial. And now perhaps, a successful small car in the shape of the Cerato. Very much a mechanical relation of parent Hyundai’s Elantra model, the Cerato is priced very keenly at launch and comes with a 2.0-litre engine, air-conditioning, dual airbags and cruise control as standard. The Cerato sedan – there’s no hatch version for now – replaces the Spectra in the Kia lineup, the Spectra in turn replaced the Mentor and Shuma. Cerato certainly takes the story on a step from that ordinary group of vehicles, but it still has a way to go.
Kia Spectra hatch
Released: May 2001
Ended: July 2004
Family Tree: CeratoKia's Spectra small car debuted here in May 2001 as a replacement for the Mentor, one of the models with which Kia debuted in this country late in 1996. While Mentor sedan and five-door was discontinued here in June 2000, the five-door Spectra - last sold at $19,990 - featured a 82kW/152Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine. The second generation Mentor arrived in May 1998 and continued in five-door hatch form until being rebadged as a Shuma in January 2000 and then the Spectra in May 2001. Mentor sedan continued until June 2000, when it was discontinued.
Super Test
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