Kia world, Your Source for Kia Information, has what they claim are exclusive early renderings of the 2013 Kia Forte 4-door.
The current Forte has been around since 2010 so it's not exactly an old car at this point. It is, however, overshadowed by the larger and much more stylish Kia Optima. A redesign of the Forte is expected for the 2013 model year and we fully expect it to be more Optima-like . This design would fit the bill, but is this legit or just another rendering by a fanboi with some talent at Photoshop?
Here's the 2012 Kia Forte Sedan
blackdynamite1 says:
10:51 AM, 12/15/11
Knocks-off many Elantra elements.
Seems about right to me
BD
sniperruff says:
10:54 AM, 12/15/11
Yes because it looks like a Elantra, as BD mentioned, esp. the side profile.
threemopars says:
11:18 AM, 12/15/11
You actually have a 2010 sedan in the photos.
threemopars says:
11:32 AM, 12/15/11
2013 Spy Shots are here:
http://thekoreancarblog.com/2011/08/scooped-2013-kia-forte/
It doesn't appear the sketch is true. Possibly a design study.
j2j says:
12:48 PM, 12/15/11
Based on the spyshots, the new Forte is more like a larger version of the Rio sedan from the side (rather than the Elantra as in the sketch).
throwback says:
01:17 PM, 12/15/11
Makes sense to me. It has a mini Optima look. Similiar to how the Elantra looks like a shrunken Sonata.
billt9 says:
04:39 AM, 12/16/11
My goodness that 2012 Forte looks so dated compared to the Optima/Sonata/Elantra.
coolb944 says:
12:50 PM, 12/16/11
Could be. Same window lines as the Elantra, which it would share a chassis with.
I think the bigger issue is not that it's overshadowed by the Optima, but that it's clearly based on the old Elantra, not the new one just released. It's a smart move by Kia to get a quick turn-around on this new model to stay competitive. What other car company has moved so fast on a product?
Hopefully the new Forte Koup keeps the good looks of the current one and really ratchets up the dynamic side of things.