Kia’s next Cerato set to gain hot turbo

KIA’S new third-generation Cerato small car is set to get a sizzling turbocharged petrol engine to take the fight up to the likes of partner Hyundai’s Veloster and European hot hatches.

Kia Australia national public relations manager Kevin Hepworth told GoAuto the 1.6-litre Gamma T-GDI (Turbo Gasoline Direct Injection) engine used in the Veloster SR Turbo sports coupe is under consideration for Australia, with the two-door Koup variant favoured to take the powerplant here.

That newly developed engine produces 150kW of power at 6000rpm and 265Nm of torque between 1750 and 4500 rpm.

The new Cerato will continue with three body styles, starting with the sedan in about February or March next year and then the five-door hatch and Koup in separate launches later in the year.

The standard engine in Cerato is believed to be the 130kW 2.0-litre GDI four-cylinder petrol engine – codenamed Nu – that will be shared with the related Kia Rondo.

Kia Motors Australia has promised “a couple of surprises” among its busy new-model launch schedule in 2013.

GoAuto has learned that in the North American market, where Cerato is called Forte, the turbo engine will go only into the five-door hatch version, while normally aspirated petrol engines will be used across all three versions.

Kia Australia has already started localisation tuning of its Cerato sedan on Australian roads in readiness for the 2013 showroom roll-out.

Even the normally aspirated petrol engine is expected to get a significant 15kW power increase over the current 115kW engine, along with an extra 17Nm of torque.

The same 2.0-litre engine is expected in the Rondo seven-seat small people-mover that has been launched today at the Paris motor show and will arrive in Australia about April.

As well, the Rondo is expected to get an optional torquey new 1.7-litre diesel engine, but there is no word on that engine coming in Cerato.

Although the new Cerato is already out and about in Kia’s home market in South Korea, there is no sign there yet of the turbo version that is likely to get its first airing at the Los Angeles motor show in November.