Kia Forte Koup Axed
Kia has decided to cut the Forte Koup from its lineup as demand drops for small coupes.
“To better align with our customers’ purchasing trends, KMA will discontinue the two-door Koup following the sell-down of remaining 2016 model year inventory,” Kia spokesperson James Hope told CarsDirect.
When Kia redesigned the Forte for the 2017 model year, the Koup model was left behind, signalling then that it would likely be discontinued.
Leaving the Koup model behind also created trouble for dealers as selling old Forte Koups is tougher when sitting next to the new 2017 model. The Honda Civic Coupe also offers more features and better fuel economy for about the same price, making the Koup an even tougher sell.
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Overall, the Forte had its best sales year ever in 2016, moving 103,292 units. In 2017, Forte sales are already up by five percent in the first quarter.
Forte Koup EX models are powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 173 horsepower while a 1.6-liter turbo with 201 hp is also available. Pricing for the Forte Koup starts at around $20,700, but CarsDirect says that a $2,500 rebate along with a dealer discount could see the rest of the 2016 Forte Koups selling for as little as $17,000.
[Source: Cars Direct]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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