Kia’s best-selling small car is ready for an overhaul.
The 2025 Kia Cerato was caught on Korean roads by autospy, wearing heavy camouflage. It is expected to debut sometime in 2024, although the final time has not been confirmed.
How do we know it’s the next Cerato? Well, the CL4 marking on the tires is a pretty clear indicator, considering that’s the internal designation given to the car.
The pictured car has taillights that can be lifted from the recently updated Seltos SUV at the rear, and aggressive diced wheels in line with those fitted to the EV9.
Up front, it looks like the next Cerato will be a more aggressive beast than the current car, with a fresh lightweight signature.
The window line ends abruptly, creating the impression of a slanted c-pillar, while the front end looks bolder and more aggressive than the current model.
Although it has produced the Rio hatchback domestically, Kia is committed to staying in the more affordable passenger car market.
Kia Australia chief executive officer Damien Meredith told Car Expert the small passenger vehicle segment has traditionally kept the company rolling.
“I think our small passenger cars – Picanto, Rio, Cerato – form the basis for our growth,” Mr Meredith said.
“[The small passenger car segment has] very important to us, and especially the Picanto and Cerato will continue to be important to us.”
“We are quite confident that the Cerato and Picanto will continue to sell quite well in the long term,” added Mr Meredith.
“They are one of our great strengths. Where other producers left off [the small car] segment, we continue to go to those areas.”
This basically confirms that there will be updated versions and new generations of Picanto and Cerato in the future.
MORE: Everything Kia Cerato