Kia Sephia
| Kia Sephia | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Kia Motors |
| Production | 1992–2003 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact car |
| Layout | Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Kia Capital / Kia Concord |
| Successor | Kia Cerato / Kia Forte |
| First generation | |
|---|---|
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|
| Overview | |
| Also called | Kia Mentor Timor S515/S516 |
| Production | September 1992–1997 |
| Assembly | South Korea: Hwaseong (Hwaseong Plant) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 4-door sedan 5-door hatchback |
| Related | Mazda Familia (BG) |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission |
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| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,500 mm (98.4 in) |
| Length | 4,360 mm (171.7 in) |
| Width | 1,695 mm (66.7 in) |
| Height | 1,390 mm (54.7 in) |
| Second generation | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Also called | Kia Mentor Kia Shuma Kia Spectra |
| Production | 1997–2003 1997–2004 (export) |
| Assembly | South Korea: Hwaseong (Hwaseong Plant) Egypt: Cairo (AAV) Indonesia: Cikampek Malaysia: Gurun (NAM) Malaysia: Pekan (AMM) Russia: Izhevsk (IzhAvto) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 4-door sedan 5-door liftback |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,560 mm (100.8 in) |
| Length | Sedan (1997): 4,530 mm (178.3 in) Sedan (2001): 4,510 mm (177.6 in) Liftback: 4,525 mm (178.1 in) |
| Width | Sedan: 1,700 mm (66.9 in) Liftback: 1,725 mm (67.9 in) |
| Height | Sedan: 1,410 mm (55.5 in) Liftback: 1,425 mm (56.1 in) |
The Kia Sephia is a compact car that was manufactured by the South Korean automaker Kia Motors from September 1992 to 2003.
The first generation Sephia was badged Kia Mentor in some markets, and as the Timor S515/S516 in Indonesia. This convention continued on with the second generation version, which was also badged Kia Shuma and Kia Spectra.
The first-generation Kia Sephia is the first car that was actually designed by Kia with their own chassis. Engines available were the B-series engines, with the 1.5-liter rated at 59 kilowatts (79 hp), the 1.6-liter 78-kilowatt (105 hp), and the 1.8-liter BP engine at 91-kilowatt (122 hp) from 1994. The car was presented in September 1992 to replace the aging Capital, which was rapidly losing market share. The Sephia proved quite successful, selling over 100,000 in its first full year in the home market (1993).http://news.newsway.co.kr/view.php?tp=1&ud=2015031708305991256&md=20150317084058_AO In the United States, sales began in 1993 for model year of 1994. This was the first Kia to be exported to the US. An update came in the 1995 model year when grilles and taillights were restyled and all US-market Sephias except California-market RS/LS models got upgraded to the new 1.8-liter DOHC four-cylinder BP engine as used in the Mazda Familia (BG). Kia licensed the engine design from Mazda, but manufactured it themselves.
It was launched in Europe in the spring of 1994 as the Kia Sephia in some markets and in others, including the United Kingdom, as the Kia Mentor.
Kia presented a conceptual convertible version of the first generation Sephia, which was named "Kia Sephia Cabrio" at some auto shows.
The Sephia-derived "Timor" was meant to become the national car of Indonesia, and was sold there in the mid-1990s. It was intended fill a role similar to that of Malaysia's Proton Perdana, and as such was exempt from taxes and duties levied on other cars sold in the country. The full name of the company was "PT Timor Putra Nasional" (TPN), literally meaning "Timor, National Son" in Indonesian. The patriotic name was meant to remind Indonesians of the importance of East Timor despite also stands for "Teknologi Industri Mobil Rakyat" (People's Automobile Industrial Technology).
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