Edmunds Says No Changes for Forte in 2024

Automotive News, the trade magazine for the auto industry, reports that the Kia Forte will be redesigned in 2024 using the current Hyundai Elantra platform and powertrains. This would be in keeping with the five-year production model run that Kia typically uses. The current gen Forte was introduced in 2019.

Edmunds, another respected automotive publication, thinks the current gen Forte will remain unchanged for at least another year.

This leads to some interesting speculation:

- The current gen Forte is such a good seller in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, so why retool the Monterrey factory until Forte sales decline and a new car is warranted?

- Sales of small sedans are slipping (Hyundai is offering a $750 rebate on the Elantra). Run with the current Forte tooling and replace the sedan with a new small ICE CUV.

- Another idea: Kia has committed to aggressively electrifying its models. Keep the gas powered Forte until its BV replacement is ready. Kia already sells a Forte BV in China, so that technology is already ready.

- Replace the Forte with new, yet-to-be-developed sedan that fills the marketing space occupied by the Forte and the K5. The Kia K5, like its Hyundai Sonata brother, are rumored to be discontinued because of poor sedan sales.