Kia Releases the First Images of the 2019 Forte
In order to fuel the fire of novelty, Kia has just released a few images of the 2019 Forte that will debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week.
They are only drawings, but at least we get a general idea of what Kia’s compact sedan will look like. The images no doubt show a sporty version of the car, if we’re to rely on the oversized air vents up front and the low-profile tires. In fact, the brief press release mentions that certain styling cues have been borrowed from the performance-oriented Kia Stinger.
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A Little Stinger, a Little Sportage, a Little Volvo
Anyway, the car’s front-end design is much more dynamic than before and the Tiger Nose grille, a Kia trademark, seems more aggressive. At the rear, there are new taillights that remind us of those on the current Kia Sportage SUV.
Inside, Kia seems to be taking the Volvo approach, meaning that the dashboard will include the least amount of buttons as possible. A big screen (Kia says it’s big, but doesn’t mention its dimensions) is planted at the centre of the dash. Since there aren’t any console-mounted control buttons on the drawing, the driver could have to poke at the multimedia screen for accessing basic controls. Let’s hope the interface (probably a UVO system, but that remains to be confirmed) is user friendly!
Kia didn’t provide any technical details so far, and hasn’t mentioned if the two-door Koup or the five-door Forte5 will return. We’ll have to wait until next Monday at 11:35 a.m. to find out.