The Spectra has been Kia’s compact car since the company entered the U.S. market in 1994. Now, it must step aside for a new Kia compact. Today, at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, Kia unveiled the 2010 Forte, a 4-door sedan that will replace the Spectra starting in late spring or early summer.

The front-drive Forte is slightly larger than the Spectra. Kia says the Forte puts a greater emphasis on styling than the car it replaces. “The Forte is an aggressively stylish blend of comfort and practicality, and with a host of standard features, it provides the great quality and value that consumers have come to expect from Kia vehicles,” said B.M. Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America.

The Forte sports a new design philosophy that Kia says denotes the future of the brand. It features a trapezoidal mesh grille, swept-back headlights and a prominent beltline that rises from front to rear. With available low-profile 17-inch wheels, the Forte has a more athletic profile than the Spectra and its hatchback sister, the Spectra5.

The Forte will be offered in three trim levels, LX, EX and sporty SX. LX and EX models will be powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 156 horsepower and 144 lb-ft of torque. It will come with a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an optional 4-speed automatic.

A Fuel Economy Package will be available for the base engine and will include a 5-speed automatic transmission, electric power steering and low-rolling resistance tires. Kia says these changes will give the Forte a class-leading fuel-economy rating of 36 mpg on the highway.

The SX model will come standard with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that will make 173 horsepower. It will be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission or an optional 5-speed automatic with Kia’s Sportmatic manual shift capability.

Kia also says the Forte will have one of the roomiest interiors in its class. With seating for five, it will feature cloth upholstery, a 6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, a tilt steering column, a rear defroster, dual 12-volt power outlets in the center console, a 4-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system, three months of Sirius satellite radio, an auxiliary audio input jack, a USB port and a Bluetooth hands-free cell phone link.

EX and SX models will add a 6-speaker surround audio system with steering-wheel controls, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, air conditioning and cruise control. SX models will also come with a telescoping steering column, sport cloth seats with red stitching, a rear spoiler, sport suspension, larger front brakes and P215/45R17 tires on alloy wheels. A sunroof and leather upholstery will be optional.

Safety features standard on all models will include dual-stage front airbags, side curtain airbags, active front headrests, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, traction control, electronic stability control and a tire-pressure monitor.

The 2010 Kia Forte sedan will go on sale in North America in late spring or early summer of 2009. Kia says the sedan body style is just the first chapter in the Forte story. A hatchback is most likely to be the next.