We’ve said it a billion times now, but man, Kias are sure looking good these days. And under the lights of the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, we’re getting our first look at the next chapter in the Korean brand’s quest for beauty, the 2014 Forte sedan. We’ve given it a good once-over in the flesh, and honestly, it might just be the best-looking car in the C-segment class.

There’s a whole lot in store for the new Forte, including a choice of two four-cylinder gasoline engines: a 1.8-liter unit making 148 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque, and a larger, direct-injected 2.0-liter mill that cranks out 173 hp and 153 lb-ft. Six-speed transmissions are standard across the board, and a proper manual ‘box is available on the base LX trim with the 1.8-liter mill.

As you can imagine, the Forte is available with lots of premium features that are no strangers to the compact class, including leather seating, navigation/infotainment, LED running lamps at the front and back, and even high-intensity discharge headlamps. A choice of 15-, 16- and 17-inch wheels are available (depending on trim – only the base LX manual gets the 15s), and all in, the Forte is now a seriously more attractive (literally) proposition than it was in its last generation.

Official pricing will be announced closer to the car’s on-sale date in the first quarter of 2013.

Today Chevrolet announced pricing data on the upcoming all-new 2014 Impala. The all-new full size sedan is slated to go on sale in very early 2013 and will wear a base price of $27,535 after a hefty $810 destination charge.

According to Chevrolet, the base price will give buyers the Impala’s Ecotec 2.5-liter four-cylinder; defying the rest of the Impala’s competition, who in almost every instance use a V-6 for base pricing. Impala will, however, offer GM’s well-know 3.6-liter V-6 as an option on LT and LTZ trims. The V-6 will bring the base Impala price up to $30,760, just shy of $1,000 more from the Ecotec 2.5-liter in LT trim. So, for most buyers the V-6 may be an easy decision. Upping to the LTZ trim nets a price of $34,555 for the 2.5-liter or $36,580 in V-6 form.

The new Impala is bringing several segment firsts, such as adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance technology, cross traffic alert, and 10 standard airbags. The 2014 Impala will also debut the latest variant of Chevrolet’s MyLink infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen and natural voice recognition, which we speculate is being borrowed from Cadillac’s CUE system.

Expect the new Impala to begin arriving in dealerships in early first-quarter 2013. Production of the car will take place at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck and Oshawa, Ontario assembly plants.

Base Price Comparison (inc. destination charges)