The current Kia Forte sedan is a pleasantly styled and attractively priced compact alternative to the likes of the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. Penned in Kia’s California design studio, the Forte sedan launched in 2009 as a 2010 model.

While not unattractive, the current Forte sedan lacks the design flair of the Kia Optima, which doesn’t help the Korean compact stand out in its class. If Kia World is correct, the car you see pictured here is the 2013 Kia Forte sedan, and it appears to borrow heavily from the styling of the Kia Optima mid-size sedan.

You can really see the resemblance in the front end, as the rumored new Forte embraces the Optima’s winged grille and character lines in the hood. The lower valence looks familiar, too, with the same exaggerated openings for vents or fog lights.

We’re guessing that the production version of the Forte sedan will be a little less radical than the sketches shown here. When a concept hits the auto show circuit, we’d expect to see a taller roofline, with a disguised-but-not-invisible B-pillar and higher beltline.

Rumor has it that the car will debut sometime in 2012, as a 2013 model.