Kia stays mum on Corolla Hybrid rival for Australia

The Kia K4 Hybrid recently debuted at the Paris motor show, but the Korean brand's local division says it still cannot confirm if and when the electrified small car will come to Australia.

"We've always put our hand up for K4 Hybrid. We'd love to have it here, but we don't have anything confirmed at this point in terms of the go-ahead or timing or anything from that perspective," Kia Australia's senior manager for product planning Raymond Pok told CarExpert.

"Obviously, from an NVES [New Vehicle Efficiency Standard] perspective, it makes a lot of sense."

Production of the Kia K4 Hybrid started this month for the European market, presumably at the company's Pesquería plant in Mexico which assembles the broader K4 range for the world.

Kia Europe has confirmed the 'full hybrid' K4 will be available in both Hatch and Sportswagon body styles, powered by a 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid system sending 113kW to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

On its own, the 1.6-litre 'GDI' petrol engine makes 75kW/140Nm, with the electric motor outputs to be confirmed. Basically, it's the same naturally aspirated hybrid powertrain as seen in the new Seltos small SUV – where the transmission-mounted e-motor makes 45kW/203Nm.

The K4 Hybrid has also been previously flagged for release in the US, where the Sportswagon isn't available but where the K4 Sedan is, as in Australia. Expect te K4 Hybrid in both Hatch and Sedan body variants if/when it heads Down Under.

As of August, Kia Australia has registered 5549 examples of the K4 so far this year, representing a healthy 16.5 per cent share of the sub-$45,000 VFACTS small passenger car segment.

It's currently the second-best selling small car in the country, behind the top-selling and hybrid-only Toyota Corolla (9383, 27.9 per cent share).

Hyundai sells the related i30 Sedan with a hybrid powertrain, priced from $33,250 before on-road costs. The petrol-only K4 range starts from $32,090 plus on-roads, by comparison.

Should the K4 Hybrid eventuate for Australia, CarExpert expects a price premium of between $2500-$4000 based on Kia's current pricing structure for its combustion, hybrid and electric vehicle lineups. So, a base K4 Hybrid would likely start around the $35,000 mark.

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