A wagon version of the Kia K4 has been spied undergoing testing in Europe, which will be its main target market.
Unlike the rest of the world that’s largely gone cold on the body style, Europeans still buy wagons in sufficient numbers for both luxury and mainstream manufacturers to continue engineering them.
Judging from these photos, the K4 wagon will be about the same length — 4.7 metres — as the sedan that went on sale locally at the beginning of the year.
If we’re right, the K4 wagon will be around 100mm longer than the Ceed, which it will likely replace in the European market.
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Although the K4 wagon prototype spotted by our spy photography agency is clad in a black shroud, there seem to be no changes to the car’s face that has its oddly-shaped headlights positioned at the extreme corners of the vehicle, framing a wide and thin take on the brand’s “tiger nose” grille.
The K4 wagon also retains the flat and relatively unadorned body sides of the hatch and sedan, as well as the hidden rear door handle.
What’s largely hidden out of sight is the rear quarter window, which, if it continues the theme used on the sedan and hatch, will end abruptly to expose a thick D-pillar.
At the rear, the wagon will have the K4 clan’s tail-light signature that’s reminiscent of a handlebar moustache.
It’s unknown if there any plans to bring the K4 wagon to Australia.
Currently all K4 models, including those sold in Australia, are built in Mexico. It’s unclear whether the K4 wagon will be built there too given wagons are pretty much an extinct breed in North America.
Kia may put the K4 into production, at least in hatch and wagon forms, in Slovakia, where the company currently produces the Ceed hatch and wagon. The current generation Ceed entered production in 2018, meaning it is about due for retirement.
For sale on the Continent, the K4 will likely be equipped with a hybrid drivetrain in order to help Kia meet the EU’s fleet-wide CO2 emissions restrictions.
Currently the K4’s engine choices, both locally and globally, are restricted to two petrol engines: a 112kW/192Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder, and a 142kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.
The closely related Hyundai i30 Sedan, however, is available with a 104kW/265Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder hybrid setup.
MORE: Everything Kia K4
