New Kia Cerato for Ireland in April

31 December 2003: A new C segment car for Kia, the Cerato, will be coming to Ireland in April. It replaces the aged Mentor and Shuma, and will include a special 'safety' version.

The Cerato was released in its home Korean market in mid-November and is already challenging GM Daewoo's new Lacetti there for second position in the 1.5-litre segment.

The car is one of three new product launches planned by the new Kia distributors here, Kia Motors Ireland, which is a branch of the UK distribution company owned directly by Kia.

The other new models will be the Picanto A segment minicvar revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and a new SUV due for reveal at Paris in September and which will be available in Ireland immediately afterwards.

In the meantime, with a new dealer network set to go, the range of Kia cars in Ireland has been repositioned, with the current entry level Rio now available from €11,995.

The Mentor and Shuma have been dropped from the lists, while a new 1.6-litre version on the Carens compact MPV is also to be introduced.

Kia Motors Ireland plans to sell 2,500 units this year, according to Chris Haughton, general manager of the operation.

Meanwhile, the Harris Group has emphatically denied that it has issued proceedings against Kia Europe Limited, following the taking back of the franchise from that Irish company.

Responding to speculation and reports that the Harris Group was suing Kia for €5 million, Dermot Thunder of Harris said the company expects to 'conclude its business amicably' with Kia.

©2003 irishcar.com