2025 Kia Cerato: Bolder look for next-gen small car

Kia’s strong-selling small car is set for an overhaul.

The 2025 Kia Cerato has been caught on Korean roads by Autospy, wearing heavy disguise. It’s expected to debut at some point in 2024, although final timing hasn’t been confirmed.

How do we know it’s the next Cerato? Well, the CL4 marking on the tyres is a pretty clear indicator, given that’s the internal designation given to the car.

The car pictured features lights that could have been lifted from the recently updated Seltos SUV at the rear, and aggressive onion dicer wheels in keeping with those fitted to the EV9.

Up front, it appears the next Cerato will be a more aggressive beast than the current car, with a fresh light signature.

The window line ends abruptly, creating a sloping c-pillar effect, while the front end looks bolder and more aggressive than the current model.

Although it has axed the Rio hatchback locally, Kia has committed to sticking around in the more affordable end of the passenger car market.

Kia Australia chief executive officer Damien Meredith told CarExpert the small passenger vehicle segment has traditionally kept the company rolling.

“I think our small passenger cars – Picanto, Rio, Cerato – formed the foundation for our growth,” said Mr Meredith.

“[The small passenger car segment has] been really important to us, and specifically Picanto and Cerato will continue to be important to us.”

“We are pretty confident that the Cerato and Picanto will continue to sell reasonably well over a long period of time,” added Mr Meredith.

“They’re one of our great strengths. Where other manufacturers deserted [the small car] segment, we kept on going in those areas.”

This essentially confirms there will be updated and new-generation versions of the Picanto and Cerato in the future.

MORE: Everything Kia Cerato