The Kia Forte is a compact car manufactured by Kia Motors since mid-2008 to replace the Cerato, available in two-door coupe, four-door sedan, five-door hatchback variants. It is not available in Europe, where the similar sized Kia Cee'd is offered (except for Russia and Ukraine, where the Cee'd and the Forte are both available).
In some markets, such as Australia and Brazil, the Forte is marketed as the Kia Cerato replacing its predecessor of the same name. In Singapore, the name Kia Cerato Forte is used, while Naza of Malaysia has assembled the vehicle since 2009, selling it there under the name Naza Forte.
The Forte shares the same platform as the Hyundai Elantra (HD), though employing a torsion-beam rear suspension in place of the Elantra's multilink design.
The two-door coupe "Forte Koup" was originally unveiled as a concept car in the form of the "Kia Koup" on March 20, 2008 at the New York International Auto Show. The concept sported a twin screw turbocharged version of the 2.0-liter Theta II inline-four engine. The production Forte Koup is badged as the "Kia Cerato Koup" in Australasia, is called the "Kia Shuma" in China, and "Kia Koup" in Chile.
The Forte sedan was designed in Kia's California design studio by Tom Kearns and his team. The Forte two-door ("Koup") was previewed as the "Kia Koup" Concept, and was also designed in Kia's California design studio. The Korean model went on sale on August 22, 2008. The US model was unveiled at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.
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