Does The New Kia K4 Look Better As A Hatchback?

Revealed earlier this week was the new Kia K4 compact sedan. This fifth-gen successor to the Cerato (Forte) dons a striking new fastback design too.

Earlier this week, Korean automaker Kia took the wraps off its upcoming new Kia K4 compact sedan. Standing as a fifth-generation successor to the Cerato (Forte), the K4 dons a radical new design as sleek new fastback design, a la the discontinued Stinger.

Premiering publicly at the 2024 New York International Auto Show this week, the new Kia K4 has unsurprisingly garnered a lot of interest. However, the Korean automaker has fuelled its hype further with a surprise teaser of said new fastback’s hatchback offshoot at its stand too.

At the 2024 New York International Auto Show, Kia made a surprise revelation of the K4 Hatchback through a series of teaser images.

Instead of an actual car or mock-up, Kia showed the new K4 Hatchback through a series of teaser images. For now at least, the Korean automaker has confirmed plans to offer the K4 in the American market in both saloon and hatch forms, the latter for the first time in said market too.

According to American sources, the K4 hatch looks quite different than the sedan, at least aft of the B-pillar. It incorporates a "floating roof" design with an interestingly shaped chrome trim piece around the rear window and D-pillar.

The taillights are similar to the sedan's, with LED lighting strips stretching nearly the width of the car. The relatively upright hatchback shape looks promising for the cargo area, which should offer more space than the sedan's trunk.

Aptly, the Kia K4 Hatchback is a very different car from its four-door fastback twin, at least aft of its B-pillar onwards.

Kia has provided few details on the K4 Hatchback, aside from confirming its entry into American showrooms by 2025 – after the sedan in the second half (H2) of 2024. The hatch is also expected to mirror its four-door fastback twin mechanically.

The latter is set to include a 2.0-litre 4-cyl naturally aspirated mill outputting 148 HP and 179 NM, as well as a 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbocharged option with up to 190 HP and 264 NM. These aide, a hybrid variant is also reportedly being developed in the pipeline.

Retained in this hatch offshoot too is the cabin, which boasts a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, 5,0-inch climate control display, as well as a bevy of safety features – more than the previous model. More details about the Kia K4 is available in our initial report by clicking here.

Up front, the K4 Hatchback appears similar as its four-door fastback twin.

Beyond the American market, Kia is widely tipped to offer the K4 Hatchback in Australia at least. Availability in other markets beyond which, as well as the marque Korean home market, remains uncertain for now.

However, given just how good this hatch looks not just against its fastback saloon twin, but also against key rivals, we reckon Kia might offer the K4 Hatchback en masse into more markets soon enough.

Are you digging the new Kia K4 in hatchback form? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, as well as our social media pages…

Source and Images: Car & Driver