2005 Kia Spectra/Cerato

libertycat · July 2003

Does anyone know anything about the next Spectra? It was supposed to come out for 2004, but that's not going to happen. 2005 is probably the earliest model year possible. I hope this has great quality, available leather, a compliment wagon (like the current Spectra GS and GSX, which really are wagons, as there is no such thing as a four-door hatchback) and lots of standard features

a_l_hubcaps · July 2003

I haven't heard anything about it, but Kia does need to get something fresh out there. The Spectra (which is really a reworked Sephia, as far as I know) is the last remnant of the old Kia, now that the Sportage is gone. They need a new compact sedan, preferably sharing some stuff with the Elantra, which is a much better car.

-Andrew L

libertycat · July 2003

and I hate it when these vehicles look the same (alas the GM and DC minivans, Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon/Yukon XL). It's okay when they look different (Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring, Mercury Mountaineer/Ford Explorer, GMC Envoy/XL/Buick Rainier/Isuzu Ascender/Chevy TrailBlazer/EXT/Oldsmobile Bravada). At least the Spectra has MUCH prettier styling than the Sephia.

smulvey · July 2003

Our Spectra looks great after a year in the bad climate of Western NY. After a wash and wax and a little detailing it still has that great broght red paint.

I have noticed some chips and so I am off to the dealer for some touchup paint.

We had a price for a blue Civic of $ 17,000 with no discounst offered. We bought the red Kia for $ 12,000 net. That was a year ago. Now Honda is discounting heavily.

libertycat · July 2003

Civic. There has got to be a picture of the Civic in the dictionary by bland.

csandste · July 2003

That doesn't mean that it's a better car, however. The Elantra is a much newer and better platform. If the new Spectra is launched the same time the Elantra is revised it won't be until the 06 model year. The Optima had some mid-life platform mods a year ahead of the Sonata so Hyundai may push the Kia up by a year, but I doubt it. By 06 the Spectra will be old indeed.

libertycat · July 2003

and THAT isn't going to happen, so I imagine 2005 model year makes sense.

uga91 · July 2003

I was also under the impression the next SPectra would be Elantra based.

csandste · August 2003

It will be...so will the new Kia Sportage successor. The SUV might get a one year jump on the market.

wsag26 · August 2003

So it looks like the 2005 Spectra will come out sooner than planned. I never intend to buy a Kia/Hyundai/Daewoo, etc. but Kia is starting to really impress me. The Amanti looks like a mini-Jag out on the road. We'll have to see what happens.
The Spectra, I heard, is based on the Elantra platform, like the next-gen Sportage will be. Hope the new Spectra, as well as the Sephia, and Sportage will be the best anticipated Kia's in the world!

uga91 · August 2003

Will it be the Elantra based car we've been waiting for or simply the same car in different skin? Or, is this new Spectra shown in the future section a 2005 that will debut in 2004?

pzev · October 2003

http://www.kia.co.kr/motorshow/2003/image/cars/cerato_galleryimg_- 01.gif

http://www.kia.co.kr/motorshow/2003/image/cars/cerato_galleryimg_- 02.gif

http://www.kia.co.kr/motorshow/2003/image/cars/cerato_galleryimg_- 03.gif

http://www.kia.co.kr/motorshow/2003/image/cars/cerato_galleryimg_- 04.gif

pzev · October 2003

http://www.kiamotors.com/UVehiclesNewsWeb/KmceVn01_VehiclesNewsRe- ad.aspx?Idx=196

pzev · October 2003

As you can see by reading the link, production begins in Korea in mid-October. So basically pictures of the entire car and interior pictures should be out soon.

I'm considering an Elantra as my next car, but the Spectra should be using the Elantra platform and engine right? If that's the case then it basically comes down to which exterior and interior styling suits the person seeing as they'll be almost exactly the same car.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2003

"Kia Online Tennis" and I didn't even notice this information about the Cerato. As a former owner of a 1999 Kia Sephia and a present owner of a 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4 I continue to follow Kia and Hyundai both with amazement. I think they're both the best thing going in new car availabilities-the Long Haul doesn't dampen my enthusiasm either. This new Cerato will offer a 1.6L and 2.0L engine with CVVT for better fuel economy and lower emissions. What I could see of the car's body lines looked good. That one view from just above the hood up at an angle from the front looked sort of like the new Toyota Corolla FWIW. Oh, I should note, the Cerato will still be called Spectra in the North American market. Also there was a mention of a diesel engine available at introduction of this model as an option. This is a first-Kia's first ever car produced that offers a diesel engine as an available option. Very shagadelic! Hey, keep the information coming in---this thread has been dead for way too long. Happy motoring!

pzev · October 2003

http://bilder.autobild.de/bilder/1/40084.jpg

http://bilder.autobild.de/bilder/1/40085.jpg

http://bilder.autobild.de/bilder/1/40087.jpg

http://bilder.autobild.de/bilder/1/40088.jpg

pzev · October 2003

How are your Kias holding up? I was reading a thread about Elantra insurance and it seems to have higher than average insurance rates so that worries me a bit. Do Kias and Hyundais have high insurance rates compared to other cars in the same class?

I still can't decide if I like this new Spectra or not. The interior looks pretty good and the exterior is ok, but it doesn't wow me as much as my first choice which is the Mazda3. Of course the Mazda3 will probably be significantly more expensive and not have as good a warranty either.

The one thing I would like to see the Spectra and Elantra have is better crash test scores. I think the airbag deployed late during the Elantra test so that hurt its scores, but it's still a bit below the competition right? Also I wish they would find a way to improve their fuel mileage a little. I don't think the VVT engine in the Elantra helped fuel mileage any, or very little. I don't have the exact figures though so not entirely sure.

pzev · October 2003

I just noticed on the spy pictures that the exterior door handles are body-colored but on the official teaser pictures the door handles are chrome. That means the interior may end up having chrome interior door handles and a little more chrome on the shifter or emergency brake. Not a big deal but I like having a little chrome in the interior, makes it look a bit more upscale in my opinion.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2003

Elantra and they're actually pretty good. Good for passenger and driver for side impact. The Kia car bodies are a little heavier so that hurts fuel economy a little bit but not too much. The car looks good to me. As far as insurance goes I just called around and found lower insurance rates for my Sportage with the "Good Hands" people. REALLY good rates. Check around when renewing for your best rate.

pzev · October 2003

Yeah I definetly won't rule out Hyundai/Kia until I check insurance rates before buying. I'm hoping to find 3 or 4 cars that I like then I'll check insurance rates on each one.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2003

Yeah, I was reading government crash test reports and both Spectra and Elantra scored very well on those. The ones that stood out as best from recall were the driver and passenger side impact crash test results. Neither car should cause your car insurance rates to go up at all-the're economy cars that have small engines.

jchan2 · October 2003

The back end reminds me of the new Prius. Not a bad thing... The interior reminds me of my own Civic in the garage- not bad either. It all comes down to price, feature content, and warranty....

csandste · October 2003

was a carryover from the previous (pre-01) platform, especially the early years before the mid-point redesign. Those cars had very fragile sheet metal.

jchan2 · October 2003

fragile sheetmetal in 1st gen
and
IIHS crash scores.

murley · October 2003

I just thought that I'd note that the diesel engine is just an euro/asian market feature. The Sorento and Sedona also offer diesels in those markets as well.

chrisducati · November 2003

That is a shame that we will not get the diesel here. My friend has a Jetta diesel and gets over 50 miles to a gallon. His car is quiet and smooth. The problem with VW is that they cost so much. Give me a new Kia with fifty miles to the gallon and I would be truly happy. Oh... and I think the name should be changed from spectra... I don't like the idea of driving a Speck. Sophia was a better name or just about anything else.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

I like the name Sephia and I still don't understand why the fuss over needing to change it to Spectra. Oh well. I liked the name and I luved my Sephia.

bluewinds · November 2003

http://www.kia.co.kr/cerato/index.html

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

on the Hyundai Elantra frame, bluewinds? That is one handsome 4-door sedan. I read where it will be available in a 1.6L and 2.0L. I would expect that the American model would be given the larger 2.0L engine. That is the funnest interactive car micro site I've ever been on. You can turn the car around to all sides and turn on and off the turn signals, headlights and brake lights and taillights, etc. You can also open and shut the doors, hood and trunk! It will also have the CVVT(Continuously Variable Valve Timing)engine. How cool! These guys just keep GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER! My early choice for favorite color is the metallic red color they have on there. Well, I'm adding this Cerato(bluewinds-is it going to be called Cerato in America, too?)to my "next new cars list". There's now the new Sportage-replacement and Cerato from Kia and the new Hyundai Tiburon on the list. This is a great looking car-I'll be seekig out info. on it constantly now. I'd want the 5-speed manual tranny for sure.
bluewinds-thanks, man, for the information. You're a great source for Kia information. Do you also drive a Kia?

chrisducati · November 2003

IT looks great! Look at all the options like radio volume on the steering wheel, heated seats etc... I hope we get it as is and Kia doesn't dumb it down for the american market. we are waiting for the Hatchback version. We carry to much stuff for a sedan.

Kirstie_H · November 2003

I've changed the discussion title to reflect the new name!

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

link bluewinds posted for this new Kia 4-door sedan(see post #28 for a link to the Cerato microsite). We're still hunting and pecking for information on this car and still don't even know if the Korean-model name Cerato will be the name for the American import.

uga91 · November 2003

Showing ABS, TCS and rear head curtain air bags, I'll be interested to see what the reaction to this car is when it comes out. The pictures look really nice. I noticed a different Kia logo as well--I guess it has changed?

ateixeira · November 2003

Looks good. I like how the fender flare turns into a character line down the side. The center console looks like the Sonata's.

-juice

svevar · November 2003

I think the Cetaro is very good looking. I see some Chrysler Sebring and Saab 9-3 in the front clip, not bad cars to look like, in my opinion. I'm not so sure about the interior, however. Maybe it's that weird metallic trim around the center stack.

regfootball · November 2003

wow, nice job Kia.....vvt! nav! good deal.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

looks good with the large taillights in a good shape and the lights are clustered in an organized way. I also like the little spoiler in back. The interior looked nice to me. I noticed in one of the interior shots it looked like a manual stickshift...Kia up to now has always offered manual tranny's, so.....the trim line along the side looks good as your eye goes back to meet the rear corner and spoiler stack...cool looking car. It's been added to my list to watch in 2004-2005-2006, whenever I decide to trade the Sportsman in. I'll get the Kia "customer loyalty" discount...I've been receiving them in the mail to get a grand off on a new Kia. I'll throw in a guess at Cerato's base price....$12,995.

broadband · November 2003

http://www.kia.co.kr/cerato/pr.asp

ateixeira · November 2003

Neat. They really focus on the HIDs (no pun intended!).

They also show the CVVT engine cover and the DVD Navigation. I wonder if those will even come here.

-juice

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

Cerato and Elantra, too, if I'm not sadly mistaken. That commercial seems to be unaccessible to me at this time. It says it's connecting yet it never connects and shows me 'da commercial! Yes, I'll take some cheese wid at!

lngtonge18 · November 2003

Kia has hit a home run with this car! A very attractive car inside and out. They really need to keep the Cerato name since this car is substantially better then the Spectra. The interior is very classy looking, along the lines of the Mazda 3 and the VW Jetta. The Elantra's interior looks a bit dowdy and plain compared to this! The only thing that makes me pause is it looks like Kia is using the current gen Elantra platform (the front door panels are exactly the same), which is already on its 4th year. It's a good platform, but coming out with a car so late in its design will keep the Cerato behind the times as far as chassis refinement goes.

The list of features on this car is simply amazing. They should market this car as a premium economy sedan at an affordable price. Bring the car over with all the same options, except maybe the navigation system since that would make the car too expensive. I noticed heated seats, nice leather, radio controls for the steering wheel, head airbags for front and rear (only the Jetta/Golf offer this), traction control, and active front seats that help reduce whiplash injuries (it reacted just like the seats in Saab and Volvo!). Kia would be the only one in its price point to offer a number of these features. Kia would be stupid to not take this chance.

All I gotta say is I'm impressed with this car. Good job Kia!

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

vehicles this one no doubt will include way more than the competition at a much lower price. Then all the stupid putdown comments will flood in and owners of this beautiful car will read the reviews of all the supposed problems they're supposed to be having and give their head a hippy-hippy shake, eh? The roll these two Korean carmakers is on just keeps getting funner to be involved with. This car is beautiful inside and out. I was going to skip this one and concentrate on the Sportage-replacement and Hyundai's beautiful Tiburon but Kia has popped another into my mind for the next year or so. I think this one will be out in the fall of 2004 or early 2005. I would guess the former of those two would be closer. Your comment about the frame it's going to be plopped on gets me to wondering whether it will be using the current Elantra frame or a new one. I think you're right-it will be plopped on the current Elantra frame. The chassis refinement will suit me fine-sometimes technology doesn't need to change to be right and I think Hyudai got it right with Elantra, don't you?
uga-the logo you see on the Cerato ad is indeed the current logo Kia is using for their mainland domestic-market models. I remember us talking about it here on Edmunds over a year ago and we were wondering whether Kia would pop it on American-market imported Kia's. They didn't and I don't think they intend to.
I'm going to be researching for everything I can find about Cerato-if anybody else finds out anything new post it in this thread, okee-dokee?

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

that clears up plenty of our questions about this new Kia 4 and 5 door sedan. Check this out! It WILL retain the name Spectra for the American market. Kia officials are happy with American Spectra sales so they want to leave it named Spectra. It will debut(the 4-door Spectra) at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2004 and it sounds like production for the American model will begin in December of 2004. Humm...which means it probably won't hit American Kia sales lots until, oh, say March or April or May of 2005 at the earliest. Here ya go-check out the many details!

- New C-segment vehicle will be Kia's first diesel passenger car

SEOUL 2 October 2003 - Kia Motors is providing a hint of its latest product offering at the Busan Motor Show currently running in Korea.

Beneath an acrylic cover that veils the exact details of the exterior, visitors to the Kia booth can see the silhouette of a new C-segment sedan, named Cerato. The vehicle which replaces the existing Spectra sedan, will be available in a four and five door version when it is released onto the market in 2004.

Aimed at young, white collar professionals, the Ceratos styling is in line with Kia's young, sporty friendly brand aspiration. Shorter and higher than its predecessor, the Cerato is designed to fit more comfortably into the C-segment, where it will compete with cars like the Ford Focus, the Volkswagen Golf, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla.

The Cerato will feature a range of engines including a 1.5 litre and a 2.0 litre common rail diesel powerplant. The Cerato will thus be the first passenger car that Kia has ever produced with a diesel option. The provision of a wider range of diesel models is in line with Kia's strategy to broaden the brands appeal in Europe.

Other engine choices will include a 1.6 litre gasoline engine and a 2.0 gasoline engine featuring continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) technology. CVVT increases the fuel efficiency of the engine and decreases emissions.

The four door version of the Cerato will make its global premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2004. The car will retain the Spectra brand name in the North American market, where its predecessor has consistently topped the sales ratings for Kia.

The 5-door version will be unveiled for the first time at Geneva in March of the same year and will make its U.S. debut in New York in April. Production begins in mid-October for the domestic version of the car and in December for the export model.

Kia Motors chief operating officer, Yong-Hwan Kim said, "The Cerato is a very important car for Kia. It will continue to raise perceptions of the brand around the world by offering a full range of safety and convenience features at a very competitive price. More importantly, it aligns Kias C-segment product more closely with current and future market trends and will be a valuable asset in the Hyundai/Kia Groups goal of becoming a top five global automaker by 2010."

Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com) is one of the world's fastest growing automobile companies. As a part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to be a top five global automaker by 2010. Kia's 15 manufacturing and assembly operations in 12 countries make more than a million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 190 countries. Founded in 1944 Kia is Korea's oldest manufacturer of automobiles. Kia today has 30,000 employees with annual revenues of $12 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and the international sponsor of the Davis Cup for the Euro/Africa zone.

Editor's Note: Exact specifications are not yet final. Photographs and full technical specifications of the Cerato will be released closer to the world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

Cerrato...burrito, burretto. Here ya go!

Kia holds giant road show for Cerrato, largest-ever in Korea 2003-11-08

- Signed contracts for 4,300 units on the first day of sales, indicating great potential for big hit in year-end sales
- Engaged in large-scale road show slated to visit 100 cities nationwide
- Providing 400 Cerrato models for customer test-drives

Kias Cerrato has emerged as a formidable force in the year-end semi mid-sized car market. On November 6, the very first day of sales for the Cerrato, Kia signed contracts for a total of 4,300 units. The Korean carmaker hopes to compensate for the current slowdown in overall sales with the launch of this new vehicle.

Kia has commenced full-scale sales promotional activities in 100 cities, including the largest road shows and test-drive sessions ever carried out in Korea, and is presenting participants with a variety of souvenirs (clocks, etc). The schedule will continue for nine days starting on November 8, as motivated by a strategy to make it the best-selling car ever within a short period of time.

In the first round of the event, to be simultaneously launched in Seoul, Busan and Daejeon, popular singers like Ahn Chi-hwan, Ria and Lovaholic will participate in special crowd-pleasing performances. During events to be carried out in 16 of the nations largest cities, an all-male brass band quintet will give three performances a day. As for the remaining 84 cities, mime performances will be carried out on wing-body stages.

Along with the road show, Kia plans to hold a large-scale test-drive event at all domestic branches between November 10 and 24, using more than 400 Cerratos. In addition, an essay contest will be conducted among those who have test-driven the new car, with free gasoline vouchers offered as a prize.

A Kia official said, These special events are part of our effort to publicize the new car more positively, and reverse the current situation in which consumer psychology has been shrunken to a noticeable degree. He added that the carmaker was planning to maximize the effects of the new vehicle through intensive marketing in the semi mid-sized car market; the relative share of this sector has gradually expanded amid the ongoing fiscal recession.

In the January-October period of this year a total of 146,249 semi mid-sized cars were sold, accounting for 29.2% of the entire domestic car market, compared to 22.7% (160,072 units) in the same period of last year. This clearly indicates that the semi mid-sized car market is growing considerably larger, and it is predicted that sales will exceed those of mid-sized cars by the yearend. A total of 151,283 mid-sized cars (30.2%) were sold in the January-October period this year, marking a considerable decrease from 236,921 units sold in the same period of last year (33.6%).

This article was cut and pasted from the Kia Motors Worldsite(English
Version) Investor Relations section

jchan2 · November 2003

what a car. Will the price stay the same???

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

like on this delicious looking "shorter, higher" Spectra. Host-we should change the title of the thread to 2005 Kia Spectra as Kia officials have stated in the above article that Spectra sales are saucy here and they'd like to keep brand image the same. I can groove to that. As for pricing we will probably have a bit of a wait unless carspy01 and/or bluewinds can give us some early information on pricing for the next-generation Spectra from Kia.

Kirstie_H · November 2003

Let's wait to make SURE this time... but I'll gladly change it

jchan2 · November 2003

should say Spectra/Cerato.

Kirstie_H · November 2003

Is everyone happy now?

breribble · November 2003

for those who can not read real well, the new kia spectra is the new plantform of which the 2006 hyundai elantra will be built on. read all articles before you say that the new spectra is based on the current elantra plantform.

iluvmysephia1 · November 2003

that fact about the new Spectra's platform. Hey, Ingtonge18, this should put fears to rest about chassis refinements for this handsome new Kia 4-door sedan and the "later to be shown-to-the-world"(2004 Auto Show in New York in April)5 door hatch(Kia didn't specify hatch, but umm...). It WILL have an all-new platform that the 2006 Hyundai Elantra will also be unitized to. Makes sense, this will be an all-new car. This car is looking better to me the more I read about it. It should be ready for the American market as my Sportsman reaches the 100,000 mile mark so it'll probably be between the new Spectra and the new Sportage(under development) that I'll trade in for. Read it with a big 'ole happy smile! Here's a survey for y'all: if there was a plastic Revell model of the Spectra/Cerato available right now, would you buy it? I know I would, who else would? I've already printed out a red Cerato picture from their Korean "English" website! Whoo-hoo!
breribble, which Kia model do you drive and how d'ya like it?

2005 Kia Spectra/Cerato

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