SEOUL: Kia, South Korea's second-biggest carmaker by sales, said on Thursday that it has unveiled the K4 compact sedan at the New York auto show as it plans to launch the vehicle in North American markets this year.

Kia will assemble the K4 compact at its plant in Mexico, and sell it to customers in the United States and Canada during the second half of this year, reports Yonhap news agency, citing a company spokesperson.

The new model will be available in two versions, one with a 2.0-litre gasoline engine and the other with a 1.6-litre gasoline turbocharged engine, it said.

The model won't be imported to Korea, the spokesperson added.

Kia said it will exhibit dozens of models, including the K4, the EV6 and EV9 all-electric cars, and the Telluride SUV, during the motor show due March 29 through April 7.