In something of a surprise reveal (at least to us), Kia showed the new K3 compact sedan in Mexico City. The K3 is a name not known in the U.S. or even Mexico ...

Kia rolled out a new version of the budget sedan known in Korea as the K3.

The K3 will offer 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter engines and will be built in Mexico, suggesting it could replace both the subcompact Rio and the compact Forte at the bottom of Kia's U.S. lineup.

Kia hasn’t confirmed if the K3 will be sold north of Mexico’s borders. Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Kia yesterday introduced the new generation of its K3 compact car in Mexico. The name is not present on the North American market, but in South Korea it is. We know it as the Forte.

If that’s not powerful enough, the K3 GT-Line has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 150 hp (112 kW / 152 PS). It’s connected to a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

So yeah, there's quite a bit of speculation regarding the name. But, we've heard scattered rumors about K4 being used, slotting neatly between K3 and K5. It's the front-runner in the name game for ...

Kia Releases K3 / Cerato / Forte Rendering, Coming in 2012 Published: 23 Jul 2012, 07:50 UTC • By: Mihnea Radu 1 photo ...

Kia did give a small sampling of specs, and there may be some overlap for a U.S.-spec K3. The base engine revealed is a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 121 horsepower and available ...