In case you were wondering, yes, there will be a Kia Forte hatchback. We don't know yet whether it will be called Forte5 (a la Spectra5), but it's pretty clear this image is a five-door version of the Forte sedan. It was caught by our shooters on a frozen lake in northern Sweden

Several styling cues on the hatchback appear to be lifted directly from the Forte sedan — the beveled sweep of the A-pillar is familiar, as is the profile between the A- and C-pillars. Moreover, the glimpse of the fascia and headlights we get through the camouflage virtually confirms this car is part of the Forte family. The disguised test car looks nearly complete, though the rear bumpers seem to be missing in action.

The Forte hatch prototype was sharing the lake with a Forte sedan and a Forte Koup; the latter was even wearing the same wheels.

We don't know yet when Kia would launch the third Forte body style, but from the looks of it, the maker intends on having a car to go toe to toe with the current Volkswagen Golf and Mazda 3 5-door. We expect the hatch to come to the U.S., but no doubt this car is even more critical to Kia's product plan in Europe.

Second photo after the jump.