Coming Soon: Kia Cerato GT

What is it?

It’s a new warm hatch to take on the Hyundai i30 SR, Honda Civic RS and Mazda3 SP25, and the base for the Cerato GT sedan to take on the small four-door version of the Civic RS and Hyundai Elantra SR Turbo.

It also succeeds the Kia Pro C'eed GT that left our shores in 2015 without replacement. But now with a better name, sharper face and improved handling, the Cerato GT could be a strong seller below the South Korean brand’s Optima and Stinger GT nameplates.

Kia remains tight lipped on details but the European Ceed (that the Australian Cerato is based on) GT hatchback has already been spotted testing in Germany without much make-up on.

What will it look like?

Though it's built on the same platform as the Hyundai i30 and corresponding i30 N hot hatch, the Cerato GT will be positioned closer to the warm i30 SR.

Upfront is a lower lip spoiler and revised bumper with side vents and blacked out trims. Side skirts also feature on the GT and 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels with a lower ride height strike a different appearance to other models.

The rear houses a lower diffuser with two wide-mouthed exhaust tips on either side for a presumably meatier growl. Most of the tailgate remains sealed up on the test mule but the GT will likely sport a roof-mounted spoiler and slightly more aggressive look.

What’s new?

Extra performance bling help differentiate the model but there will be specification differences underneath. Large red brake callipers can be seen behind the mule's bespoke alloy wheel design and will need to pull up a little extra grunt.

Unlike the 202kW/353Nm Hyundai i30 N, the GT is tipped to fit the same 150kW and 265Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol as the i30 SR. It should also come with the same six-speed manual or optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission sending power to the front-wheels.

But there could be some sharing between Hyundai’s N efforts with Kia peeping into the performance brand’s parts bin for suspension and undercarriage gear. Kia will also no doubt undergo local tuning to ensure its warm hatch has a unique character for our roads, but on an independent rear suspension setup like its South Korean foe rather than the standard torsion beam system.

Beyond hardware changes will be a similar interior with sporty highlights that showcase the latest centre-mounted 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Automated emergency braking as well as lane departure warning and keeping assist should all make an appearance.

What’s on the wish list?

Given that the Stinger GT is the most powerful in the line-up with a meaty V6 twin-turbo, why not position the Cerato GT in a similar vein – something like the i30 N that produces over 200kW and 350Nm of torque from a 2.0-litre turbo - but push them apart with an all-wheel drive transmission underneath the Kia version.

That’d leave room for a GT-Line or S closer to the expected specs... Or maybe that’s what Kia is already planning.

When is it coming?

The third-generation sedan has already launched and the hatchback is expected to arrive simultaneously with the GT version either towards the end of this year or around the same time as the Kia-sponsored Australian Open tennis championship in January 2019.