The 2025 Kia K4 Looks Like a Step Up from the Forte

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Kia is revamping its entry-level car. The 2025 Kia K4 will be revealed later this month at the New York auto show as a replacement for the long-running Forte. We won’t have full specs on the car until next week, but its styling and design mark a significant step forward for what will likely still be Kia’s most affordable model.


Like the larger K5, the K4 features sleek styling and unique lines with a futuristic look. Kia retained its signature “tiger nose” grille and gave the car vertical headlight units with large LED daytime running lights. The rear features vertical taillights and an integrated diffuser in the lower bumper.

Kia said it designed the interior with two themes in mind. The driver’s space is focused, with displays and controls oriented toward the seat, while the rest of the passenger cabin focuses on comfort and space. The car is available with a range of interior lighting options, and Kia retained physical controls for often-used functions like maps and the climate system. Kia also offers new interior colors, including green, gray, brown, and black.


We don’t have powertrain specs for the new car yet, but Kia’s expected to offer similar configurations to what was seen in the Forte. That would mean a standard four-cylinder engine with an available turbo. The automaker is also expected to develop a hybrid model and a small electric sedan called the EV4.

The 2025 Kia K4 will officially debut on Mach 27 in New York, so we don’t have long to wait for more information. Pricing details will likely wait until closer to the car’s release date later in 2024.


[Images: Kia]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Danddd Danddd on Mar 22, 2024

    That rear quarter panel is just lazy design trying to interpret futuristic 60s. Who would approve this?

  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Mar 24, 2024

    The 1986 Accord hatchback coupe has returned!

  • 3SpeedAutomatic It's not that they had bad sales practices. The issue is that they got caught because they became too greedy!!I'm sure Kia turned a blind eye when it made overall sales look good.Yet, someone dropped a dime, HQ redundantly got involved, and to cover their arse, HQ is suing the franchise and claiming victim status!!Reminds me of FARGO when the Executive Sales Manager (William Macy) obtained financing from GMAC for non-existing cars. 🚗🚗🚗
  • Jor65756038 Another boring SUV. What for? Buick needs a sedan or a sports coupe. Where is the brand that once produced the GNX, the Regal, the Riviera, the Fiero, the Century, etc.? Today Buick is nothing but a brand with an uncomplete lineup that produces boring unimteresting vehicles.
  • Tassos IF Automakers want to MAKE PROFITS AND PROSPERThey need to LISTEN TO THE ALMIGHTY CONSUMERAND SATISFY THE CONSUMER PREFERENCES, WHATEVER IN THE HELL THEY MAY BE.Thus SPAKE THE REAL TASSOS and NOT the pitiful PHONY (aka Analoggrotto and his Telluride)
  • Ajla I think there is too much political momentum behind EVs for them to fail. The question is really about the adoption timeline. If I was a dedicated performance brand I'd be ride-or-die on ICE. If I had a credible hybrid program then I'd get some mileage out of that the rest of the decade. But otherwise I'd lean into EVs pretty hard. So I guess close to what Nissan is doing.
  • Lou_BC What's the best trunk strut for a teenager?
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