Kia Forte LP1 Hybrid
July 11, 2009 by George Skentzos
This is Kia’s Forte(known as Cerato in Australia) LP1 Hybrid, which is due for release in the Korean market next month.
Its part of Kia Motors push towards a range of what they are calling “earth-positive vehicles” and their new environmental brand “EcoDynamics”.
It’s a hybrid with a twist though; this car runs on both Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) – and electricity.
The engine is 1.6-litre Gamma LP1 HEV unit producing 84kW and 148Nm of torque mated to a fuel efficient Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), said to be good for approximately 5.5-litres per 100 kilometres.
This new Kia is also the first car in the world to use lithium polymer batteries, which compared to nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH) used by the most advanced hybrids today, provides more power in a lighter and smaller package.
Kia also plans to introduce a mid-sized, full hybrid car in 2011, followed up by a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2012.
Print it: 
sounds like a big drinker… is that a typo 5.5l/km should be 5.5l/100km :)
I really cant wait to see how this thing performs
If I were Kia, I would have probably not called it a Kia and set up a seperate identity for their eco models, and then market the hell out of it.
Because lets face it, the general public switch off when you say Kia, but this would be worth a good look in I reckon
Kia why is this not on salw here you have the opputunity to blow toyota and honda out of the water
5.5l / 100km and LPG is super cheap!!! Sounds like a winning combination to me :)
This really shows up the Prius.
Kia has a real winner with this one!
This car would cost around $10 a week to run for the average punter and it would make a much smaller impact on the environment than the hybrids already available.
Lithium polymer batteries, LPG and unlike its sister the Hyundai Elantra version of this car, it is based on a fairly good platform.
Finally a Kia I would buy. I hope they bring it to Australia, and I hope they offer the electric green as a colour option.
All sounds great, but just how noisey is the LPG pump???
The new 2010 Falcon running direct injection LPG is meant to using advanced technology. I would what fuel economy and performance figures that is achieveing in testing….
If this was sub-25k it could be the car to change peoples perception on kia. Anything over that and they will struggle i think..
it looks like a bucket of herpes in the lime green and silly 15″ rims
if they made it identical to the SLi it would be a goer
If this sells 25K drive away with auto – it will sell very, very well.
Well done to KIA. Like others have said, if its sold at around $25k they are on a winner.
Hyundai should also get behind this with the elantra. Im sure if kia introduced this here they would double there sales if it were sold around 25k!
This is definitely a new Kia look…finally they are improving and many people are recognizing its potential. Combining LPG and electricity is a good strategy, buyers will definitely add this Kia in their list.
I really want one in red. That is an awesome car for the money and the consumption would blow those so called world saviours out of the water. (Prius and Insight are cowering in the corner.)
please please bring it here where we desperately need to use up our LPG reserves :D
gamma… that doesn’t sound good. some diesels do better fuel then that but i’m likeing the colour and front bumper
Welcome to last month!
Needs to kick of @ $”2″*,*** THEN they have themselves a surefirer winner!
Cheers,
F-0
Fantastic car, so simple and easy you wonder how the hell someone only just thought of this now. KIA (as well as Hyundai with the Elantra version) have to release this car here as we need to use more of these resources available (like I think all buses should run on CNG – there’s almost infinite amounts available to us just sitting there!) to us and lessen our dependancy on Fossil Fuels.
This is the hybrid which people will buy because (if they price it right) it’s a normal car (unlike Prius and Insight) it’s costs are alot less than petrol-powered versions and it’s a much better idea than a petrol hybrid. This makes me want a diesel hybrid quite alot now though…
Tony if you look at the middle pic it is the SLi spec with the 17 inch alloys.
Looks like the love child of a falcon and an accord.
It looks brilliant, so long as they’ve found a solution to strapping a giant silver tank to the inside of the boot. That’s always been a deal blower when it comes to LPG, for me.
Just a correction CA, its LPI, not LP1. :P
I like it!
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It’ll come to Oz. No doubt. Australia could prove their biggest market.
Price will be the only thing that could hold them back. I’d expect $29,990 driveaway for the base model at launch. A few dollars more for the extras… but I’d expect the whole range under $30k within 12-18 months during sale periods.
They go that way, they’ll walk out of dealerships.
If reliability backs up their technology, they’ll rule the roost until the Big Two catch up with a similar product in a few years time (if ever?).
ps Yanzo: 5.5lt per 100kms of LPG is a LOT cheaper than the cost of diesel! Try HALF PRICE. And a similar cut in emmissions no doubt also. I’ll take one of these over a 4.0lt deisel anyday.
Oh, hi there Evcarco. Thanks for the spam. Small point to make, Luv. This is an A-u-s-t-r-a-l-i-a-n website. That’s right…this website and its readers are in STRAYA. I’m sure we’d lovce to fall off our chairs and call your little company on 877 Coast to Coast whatever, but you’re in Amurrrrica and that just makes it a teensy weensy impractical and irrelevant to us.
Golfschwein
+1 Yep wer are Australian :)…
KAI is on a roll hope this car come out sooner rather then later.
Vid_Ghost^^^^
Its KIA not KAI! :-)
I believe the said hybrid Cerato is also called LPI and NOT LP1, a C/A issue that you copied wrong!
At the end of the day its still going to be priced extra over the std. ULP but it MUST be the same amount [or less!] as a DIEsel is extra over the ULP version.Otherwise dont bother with it, unless you want to feel *green* as per its horid colour show!
Cheers
F-0
Golfie,
If the silver tank in the boot is your deal breaker, then you have only opened your mind to duel fuel.
Take it one further and you will see a shiny silver tank could be placed under the car where the unleaded tank would once lie, in exactlly the same fashion that the only LPG dedicated vehicle on our roads does……..Falcon
But in saying that, would be interesting to see if they stick a silver bullet shape tankin this, or fork a few more dollars and go for one of the fan-dangle ones
still waiting on price……..
I think it would struggle to get on road for under 30K as some are suggesting
For starters its low 20’s for a base unleaded.
Add to that your typical 4K for a decent LPG system,
Whats hybrid tech worth??? at least another 4K (and yes thats with out gouging it)
Possibly an Auto only as this sort of thing usually is……thats another 2K
Thats already broken 30K before any price gouging or extra developmental costs are applied, But being Kia, they wont load it.
Either way suggestions of 25K are dreams.
But if my pie comes to me, ill eat it
Lets hope its a real goer.
This could possibly be the first time one of the looked down on vehicle companies got a great jump on the main gamers
Andrew M, if this car runs solely on gas and electricity, then it’ll be brilliant. If the tank is sited under the boot floor, score 10. If it’s mounted IN the boot, from Golfschwein’s eyes there shall run tears.
The stench of cottage industry still hangs heavily over LPG. I recognise that Ford do it better than just about everyone, and it works brilliantly if you’ve got a car like yours. But I don’t see the sense in taking your large Falcon Or Commy to Malaga Gas Conversions and have them convert it into something that’s, um…useless. If you want a car with a 500 litre boot that suddenly becomes a 350 litre boot or, worse, a wagon that you can’t load stuff into coz ya went out and got all cheap on us, then I can show you something with a 350 litre boot and lower fuel costs from the factory – my Golf.
KIA could do more for LPG cars than anyone else, but only if they’ve addressed the practical issues.
As an Accountant, and keen environmentalist, i am impressed by the advanced Lithium battery and LPG combo. The long term cost of a car is dictated by fuel cost. This babt makes economic sense, and i like the look of it. Most of all my partner liked the look of it and she had no idea it was an eco friendly car.
Provided the car will do 350,000 kms plus before engine overhaul, battery replacement, this is cheap motoring.
It’s LPI not “1″
A bit more about it below, and as PER NORMAL you also publish the RRP in the manufacturers currency and then the today AUS convereted figure which of course changes all the time as the currency moves, so having the origonal currency can be worked out at a future time..Got it!
Available in three trim levels, LPI HEV will be priced at 20.5 million won (AUD$20,395^) for the entry level model and will top out at 23.2 million won (AUD$23,079^) for the top model. Prices include South Korean government consumption tax exemption which has a maximum benefit of 3.1 million won (AUD$3,084^).
And from before>:
C/A its “LPI” NOT “LP1″ lol
I still find it hard to believe that Kia had perhaps THE biggest *issue* in Australian Automotive history with its V6 engine Carnival [total junkbox] and yet people still buy Kia’s?
Kia [Hyundai Australia] dont want to know about it, they have burned 1000’s of customers and yet have walked away scott free…..SCAM.
Should as a minimum offered each and every customer a $5000 credit to be applied to any new Kia purchased.
C/A do have a story on this said issue on its website, google it and you will find 100’s of pages in reference to it.
NEVER BUY A CARNIVAL!
Cheers
F-0
Golfie,
I believe this IS LPG and battery only meaning the problem of having the tank in the boot CAN be solved
How did this vehicle perform in the Eco challenge?
Cheers,
F-0