Kia cee'd concept
Seeds for growth in the EEC

Motion Trends,
20th February 2006.

Kia Motors will not content itself with the launch of its new Carnival MPV and facelifted Sorento SUV at the 76th Geneva motor show next month.

The Korean brand will unveil at Geneva (2-12 March) too an all-new concept car, based on a five-door C-segment (lower medium, compact category) hatchback design under the double-meaning cee’d (pronounced ‘seed’) name.

Based on the forthcoming all-new C-segment model which Kia (partly-owned by Hyundai Motor) will begin building at its first-ever European assembly plant in Slovakia from December 2006, the cee’d name evokes "seeds" of growth as well as the French CEE abreviation for Communauté Economique Européenne, the equivalent of EEC (European Economic Community). For the concept and the forthcoming production model are ‘made in Europe’ for European consumers.

“Our design brief was to create a ‘teaser’ for the all-new Kia which has been designed entirely in Europe and will make its world premiere at the Paris Show in September,” explained Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Kia, European Design Centre.

“We wanted to introduce this concept as the starting point for the new design DNA for Kia, to highlight that this car is designed in Europe and made in Europe, to fulfil 100% of European customer needs.”

The cee’d has several of the core design elements of two earlier Kia cars -- the Sorento SUV and A-segment Picanto. With this concept car Kia is making these design elements even more understandable to the public. cee’d is a new stage in Kia design, the beginning of communicating its new design language.

At the Geneva Show, cee’d will be finished in ‘English Pewter’ bespoke exterior paint, blended to give the external surfaces a unique luster that is echoed by the interior. The extended, flared wheel arches envelop bespoke 19-inch diameter polished aluminium wheels sporting 265/30 R19 low-profile tires.