Background and Identification

The Kia Forte is a compact car produced by Kia Motors, a South Korean automaker, since 2008. The Forte is called the K3 in South Korea, the Forte K3 or Shuma in China, and the Cerato in South America, Australia, and New Zealand. In Colombia and Singapore, the Cerato Forte name was used for the second-generation Forte. The Kia Forte replaced the Kia Cerato/Spectra and was sold in two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door hatchback variants. In Europe, a similar-sized Kia Ceed is offered instead of the Forte. In Russia and Ukraine, the Ceed and Forte are both available.

The first-generation Kia Forte was introduced in 2008. It replaced the Kia Spectra in North America. The Forte shares the same platform as the Hyundai Avante/Elantra but includes a torsion-beam rear suspension rather than a multi-link suspension. Throughout three generations, the Forte has been sold with a range of both diesel and gasoline inline-four engines and various manual and automatic transmission options.

Kia automobiles can be identified by the Kia emblem, which includes the name “Kia” in capital letters (and stylized so the ‘A’ does not include a horizontal line) inside of an oval. Depending on the market and country, the Kia Forte includes different nameplates. In South Korea, the Kia Forte includes the name “K3” inside of an oval on the rear of the car. In other markets, the name “Forte” is placed on the left-hand side of the car’s rear.

Additional Information

• Wikipedia: Kia Forte

• Consumer Reports: Kia Forte

• Kia Forte Models, Generations, and Redesigns