Kia is looking to boost its Cerato sales in Australia by 20 per cent with the launch of a five door hatch version of the Korean car maker's mid-size model following an increase in production capacity.

"Demand for the Cerato has exceeded supply from day one and for this reason we have held off adding the five door to the range because we could not get additional supply," explains Dinesh Chinnappa, General Manager of Kia Automotive Australia. "But we can now order Cerato hatch production in addition to our sedan orders and this means we can add what we are sure will be another popular model to the Kia range."

Kia is sticking to its tried and tested Australian recipe for success, with the new Cerato hatch maintaining Kia's reputation for top levels of equipment, above average mechanical specification and a very keen price. The Cerato hatch shares the same equipment level as the sedan and that means AirCon, CD player, remote central locking, front and rear electric windows, twin air bags, power steering and, unusually in this class, cruise control, are all standard features.

As with the equipment, the Kia Cerato hatch has the same drivetrain as the sedan, a potent 2.0 litre engine with 105 kW and 186 Nm of torque, along with a choice of a slick five speed manual gearbox or an electronic four speed automatic. Either way, the dash to 100 km/h is achieved in a sprightly 9.0 seconds and, where the law permits, top speed is 208 km/h.

Fully equipped with an excellent blend of performance, style and economy, the Kia Cerato hatch has a Driveaway recommended retail price of $18,990 for the manual version and $20,990 for the automatic.

Unveiled at the Sydney Motor Show, the Kia Cerato Hatchback is on sale now, prior to deliveries starting in December. With its sporty appearance, Kia dealers will also have available with the launch of the new Cerato five door a full range of body kits, alloy wheel and tyre packages to further hone the Kia Cerato to individual tastes and requirements.

"The arrival of the Cerato five door is the final element in providing Kia with a high competitive and advanced choice of models in the small and light car sectors, with a complete replacement of all our models in a little over a year," says Mr Chinnappa. "We open our new range with the lauded all-new Rio, with its choice of hatch or sedan, and follow this with the two versions of the Cerato. These combine to provide Kia with a new level of strength in these two critical Australian market sectors."

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