2018 Kia Cerato GT confirmed for Australia, turbo looks likely

While some other model ranges in the Kia family are topped by a GT-Line variant, those are mere styling kits to give the car a more sporting look. But, as with the flagship Optima GT, removing the 'line' adds power and handling tweaks for a more sporting drive.

Speaking with media at the Detroit motor show this week, Kia Australia officials confirmed the new Cerato line-up would be made up of S, Si, Sport+ and GT models.

We were left to speculate on what would drive the GT grade, but there can be little doubt it will be a more powerful offering than the regular 112kW/192Nm variants.

A likely candidate is the 150kW and 265Nm 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine that does service in, among others, the Pro_Cee'd GT and the Hyundai i30 SR - cars we rate highly.

Indeed, the current Cerato can already be had with this turbo engine, but only in North America.

In 2016, as the local Pro_Cee'd GT was being put to pasture, Kia Australia flagged its interest in a warm turbocharged Cerato.

And, as a four- or five-door offering with likely availability of an automatic transmission, the Cerato GT will surely prove more successful than the three-door, manual-only Pro_Cee'd GT. On that note, Kia has yet to confirm if the GT model will be offered in both sedan and hatch form, or one style only. If the latter, we expect the hatch.

Watch for more details on the Kia Cerato GT to come in the months ahead, and get more on the new 2018 Kia  Cerato at the links below.

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