Price hike for Kia's red hot Cerato GT

Kia has put up the price of its red hot Cerato GT.

Launched in January this year, the turbocharged version of the Kia’s best selling hatch and sedan has received almost universal acclaim, providing high levels of performance at an affordable price.

But that price, until now $31,990 driveaway for either hatch or sedan, has just jumped $1000 to $32,990 — still driveaway.

Premium paint adds $520 to the price.

Kia quietly put up the price on June 3, catching at least one of our readers unaware.

But even at this price it still represents unbeatable value, but the higher it goes the more likely it is buyers will opt for more fancied brands.

A spokesman for Kia said the price rise rise had been forced by a combination of increasing costs and rampant exchange rates.

Year to date Kia has sold mote than 8500 Ceratos, although we can’t tell you how many of those are GTs.

Since launching in January/February the Cerato GT has sold 900 in hatch format and 453 in sedan guise.

A four-cylinder 1.6-litre turbo engine produces 150kW at 6000rpm and 265Nm of torque from 1500-4500rpm, with drive to the front wheels through a 7-speed dual clutch style gearbox.

There is no manual.

It’s the same engine that can be found in numerous Hyundai models, including Kona, Tucson, Veloster, i30 and Elantra.

Sport mode is accessed by tipping across the gear lever towards the driver with aggressive gear shift characteristics and sharper steering maps.

Biggest barnfind of all time

Safety-wise the GT is right up there with six airbags, Auto Emergency Braking, with Pedestrian and Cyclist recognition, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Rear View Camera, Driver Attention Alert, plus front and rear parking sensors.

The GT rolls on 18-inch alloys, with Drive Mode Select, tyre pressure monitor, speed limiter, 8-way driver seat adjustment with two memory positions, smart cruise control, 8.0-inch touchscreen with satnav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with voice recognition, wireless phone charger, 8-speaker JBL audio, climate air conditioning and heated and cooled front sport seats.

Sporty bits include a body kit, dual exhausts, paddle shifters, alloy sports pedals and a flat-bottomed leather sports steering wheel.

Sorry, Tony, but if you’re reading this we still reckon the sedan is the better looker.