Kia Motors launches locally-built Forte in China

Shanghai, June 18 (Gasgoo.com) Kia Motors launched its C-segment Forte (known as 'all-new Cerato' in some countries) to the Chinese market today in Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu province, Korea Newswire reported. The locally-made Forte will target China's high-end sedan market.

As a global brand, the Forte has special significance in China where Kia vehicles have seen a 13.5% growth year-on-year through May. "When the Forte made its debut at the 2009 Shanghai auto show back in April, it received rave reviews from local media for its segment-leading commercial value, and dynamic styling," said Jong-Ok Park, Dongfeng Yueda Kia President.

The local model will be sold under the name Fu-rui-di, which means luck, auspiciousness and advance in Chinese. Its pronunciation is also similar to the English name 'Forte.' The model will be produced locally at one of two plants jointly owned by Kia Motors and Dongfeng Yueda in Jiangsu province.

Designs of the Forte also reflect local preferences. The exterior has been revamped to include newly designed large fog lamps. In the interior, chrome finishings were adopted to the center fascia and main switches. High-luster metal grain has been generously used to satisfy Chinese consumer tastes for sophisticated styling.

The Forte is Kia's first model for the Chinese market to feature the eco-driving system that color-codes driving patterns to help drivers maximize their gas mileage. This is in response to the growing interest among drivers for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Forte is powered by a 1.6L Gamma engine or 2.0L Theta engine in China. This makes the Forte a powerful model to compete with the Volkswagen Jetta, Buick Excelle, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Tiida in China's sedan market.