Geneva Motor Show: Kia cee'd

Making its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show is the all-new Kia cee’d. More efficient, more refined and with a more engaging driving experience than its predecessor, new cee’d is expected to build on the success of the original model.

Launched in 2007, the original cee’d was a landmark and game-changing model for Kia. Designed, developed and built in Europe, cee’d was the first model to establish Kia as a serious contender to the established brands. Winning praise from media and public alike for its all-round ownership proposition, cee’d claimed fourth place in the European Car of the Year Awards that year – the highest ever ranking for a Kia vehicle.

“The original cee’d was a paradigm shift for Kia, taking the company into the hotly contested C-segment with a truly competitive car for the first time,” comments Paul Philpott, Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motors Europe. “Just as the original cee’d represented a major step forward for Kia in 2007, this second-generation model represents a further leap for the brand – both in terms of the capability and sophistication of the vehicle, and what it will do to drive further momentum in our European sales.

New cee’d is both longer and lower than its predecessor, giving the five-door hatchback a more sporty profile. Overall length is increased by 50 mm (to 4,310 mm) and overall height has been reduced by 10 mm (to 1,470 mm) by lowering the ride height. Despite being based on a completely new platform, new cee’d carries over the 2,650 mm wheelbase, one of the longest in the C-segment, from its predecessor.

This more athletic appearance is further enhanced by a wider track. While the overall bodyshell is 10 mm narrower, the front and rear track have been increased (by 17 mm and 32 mm, respectively). The impact on the car’s aesthetics is heightened by the availability of 17- and 18-inch diameter alloy wheels, resulting in a minimal gap between tyres and bodywork.

The new model’s sleek silhouette was shaped by extensive testing in the state-of-the-art wind tunnel at Kia’s R&D centre at Namyang, Korea. A reduced windscreen angle, smooth covers beneath the engine bay and the central floor, a rear spoiler above the tailgate and carefully profiled rear lamp clusters all help new cee’d achieve a Cd figure of just 0.30, placing it among the best-in-class, and helping to reduce fuel consumption and cabin noise.

New cee’d will be manufactured exclusively at Kia’s Zilina facility in Slovakia in a range of 10 exterior colours – including five new – and will be among the first models to bear the new-look Kia badge on its bonnet. Simpler, sleeker and with a more modern appearance, the new badge design echoes the premium feel of new cee’d and incorporates the Kia script in a single raised section for greater legibility.

Across most of Western Europe there will be two petrol engines – a 1.4 MPI and a 1.6 GDI producing 100 and 135 ps respectively – plus two diesels – a 1.4 WGT with an output of 90 ps and 1.6 VGT diesel offered in two states of tune (110 and 128 ps).  Certain markets in Europe will also offer a 1.6 MPI petrol unit producing 130 ps.

Kia anticipates that its top of the range diesel – the highly-efficient 1.6-litre variable geometry turbo unit – will be the most popular choice in most markets.  Generating 128 ps and 260 Nm, the engine will be offered with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions and will accelerate the new cee’d to 100 kph in less than 11 seconds.  Fuel consumption will be just 4.1 l/100 km on the combined cycle (3.7 l/100 km in cars fitted with Kia’s EcoDynamics technologies), and CO2 emissions start at just 97 g/km.

New cee’d five-door goes on sale across Europe from the second quarter of 2012, depending on market, and will play a significant role in driving Kia’s sales in Europe even higher. Further information about other models in the new cee’d family – including the SW version displayed at Geneva – will be made available later this year.