Kia’s Forte sedan has always been an underdog in the mid-size segment, and deservedly so. It traces its roots back to the pretty awful Cerato, and it’s never really been an exciting product. But things might be changing with the new model, the 2019 Kia Forte, set for debut later this month at the Detroit Auto Show. 

Previewed here in these official renderings, the 2019 Kia Forte boasts a magnificently aggressive design up front which is not something you see often in this class. The face is that of Kia’s corporate look with the big, stretched headlights and the tiger nose grille. But the way they have arranged the bumper intakes and grille surrounds gives the mid-range sedan the appearance of a much sportier model.

The same pretty much goes for the rear-end where 2019 Kia Forte ha a sort of Audi-ish look about it. Kia says they have used the Stinger as the template in shaping the new Forte. In short, the design is a huge improvement over the previous generation of the car and definitely one of the best in its class. Let us just hope that in the transition from drawing to a real car the new Forte won’t lose any of its charm.

The Stinger influence is felt just as strongly inside the cabin. The interior design is a lot less cluttered than before and is characterized by a semi-floating large display in the middle and neat and straight lines on the dash and door panels. There is no word yet on the powertrains and technology features, but rest assured they have received a thorough improvement as well.

Now we can’t wait to see the next Kia Forte Koup…