pro_cee’d looks nice. Kia should build a Golf GTi type version. It has captured the hearts of many in Asia! Am I the first to post here? :)

It’s awsome!!

Can’t wait to see in US.

When uguys are comming with this awsome one?

Please Be Here ASAP!!

the first and the last!!=D

Welcome everyone! It’s great to see our blog get off the ground and I, along with our team of authors, am looking forward to providing you with all sorts of insight into what’s happening these days at Kia Motors.

David, to answer your question, there are no current plans for launching the cee’d family of vehicles in the US market. Since the cee’d is being exclusively produced at our new factory in Europe, we are concentrating on meeting initial demand in that market for the time being. But as we like to say around here…”never say never.”

Consider bringing this to Canada! Canadians seem to have a larger appetite for smaller cars and hatches than our American cousins, and this would be a great, more fuel efficient replacement for our Sportage. (Also, the Spectra needs replacing, badly)

Looks fabulouos!
I am looking forward to seeing in Canada.
WOW!

Hi, we are awaiting cee’d in Azerbaijan market soon. When you planning supply this model to Azerbaijan market? I like this model from the first day, wherever, I was seen him. Please, give me info.

Helo ,
First of all congratulations for this great idea ! A official blog will became a new “feature” for all automakers.
I’m from eastern europe and since now I’ve owned seat cars. Well , the extended warranty and the great price lead me to the point where I want to buy a Kia Cee’d car. I didn’t order it yet because I want the 3 doors version.
I do have a whole lot of questions about my new car witch isn’t born yet but I will resume myself to this one : Will it be at aproximately the same price point as the 5 doors ceed?

Best regards.

I would really like to see this car in the american market. I mean, now that saturn is selling the astra in the US(and I assume will also put a chevy badge on it and sell it in latin america), this would be a great choice(even better if they use the diesel engine)

What about the cee’d cabrio that you’ve introduced as concept car before? Is it going to be built for the real world?

In fact in order to strengthen your image you needed cars like these (cabrio, hot-hatch GTI, etc.) badly. They might not make the highest profit, they can even make losses per unit, but could reform your image in customers mind. In my undarstanding your main goal in Europe is to move away from the image of being a budget-manufacturer.

I was unhappy to hear that you’ve closed your hybrid-Rio project…

Very stylish, hopefully will make to Australia in the future…..

kia lousy!

Scudracer – We are considering a high-performance version of cee’d, but can’t tell you when it will hit the market. Currently, accessories such as hard suspensions for 18’ inch wheels and dress up kits for the cee’d are available.

Yalchin and Georges Boroda – Mass production of the pro_cee’d is scheduled for November ’07. That means the car will be launched in Europe early next year. The price of the 3DR will be cheaper than that of the 5DR.

Samuel – Like the high performance version, a cabriolet based on the ex_cee’d concept is also under consideration. And we haven’t terminated the Rio Hybrid project! It is still under development (and, in fact, long-term testing by the Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Energy has been underway for quite some time).

Hi Michael,

When will the specs of the hot Cee’d (XR?) be released?
Will it be front-wheel drive?

Lastly, when will it be sold in Singapore?

Thanks in advance.

Like some of my compatriots above…. This car should be sold in Canada, even the 5-door version. It looks great and according to Car and Driver, it drives great too.

I still don’t understand why there’s resistance to import hatches to North America. In any case, a lot of vehicules are imported to Canada without making it to the US, especially small ones and KIA definitely needs to replace the aging and bland Spectra.

Michael – just to say that I think from a PR perspective, the blog is a great initiative. I wish you well with the postings and will be taking the feed to keep up with your progress.

(P.S. I’m Steve Kitson’s UK contact re the Creativity in PR books in case you don’t recognise my name)

Heather – It’s nice to hear from you. Thanks for the good wishes and hope all is well in th UK.

By the way, the books were fantastic. So thanks again!

Can’t wait for this car to arrive in the UK.

In one of your recent UK press releases you mentioned engines ranging from 90PS to 143PS, is this the high powered diesel you talked about when launching the Ceed 5dr?

Mr. HS Park – Thanks for your reply. Being able to interact with Kia insiders is indeed a fantastic concept. Hope this continues! My benchmark would be the Golf GTi. I’ve driven it and I must say the suspension is superb. Big wheels, small sidewall height, small tyre-to-fender gap yet it’s COMFORTABLE AND CORNERS well!! I’ve driven sporty Japanese cars which cannot compete with the GTi and a lot of motoring journalists where I live say the same thing. The power is amazing. There’s so much torque but it never feels unstable. If Kia can do something like this and still beat the GTis in price it would be fantastic. Should do well in the USDM as well. I believe your powertrain is going to be pricey though.

Michael,

Thanks for the blog, nice to see that you actually listen to suggestions and answer questions from consumers. If only more companies did that, what would we not end up with:)

I am a potential buyer of either a 3 door or 5 door 1.6 diesel excl. version.

The only two things that keep me from buying a Cee’d are the facts that Kia does not have cheap insurance deals (which many other car manufacturers have) and the fact that I live and work downtown Copenhagen (yes, we still use bikes in our little fairytale country hehe).

Here in Denmark, people are slowly starting to notice the Cee’d, but as a marketing expert I am surprised that a TV-campaign has not been launched yet. You need to make people aware of the Cee’d through other channels than just print ads and a bit of PR. A viral campaign for the 3-door version for the younger audience should also be considered.

With a good price, a european-manufactured car, stylish interior and last, but certainly not least the 7-year warranty makes the Cee’d a perfect buy for many potential buyers. Bring a cheap car insurance into the deal and this is a no-brainer for potential buyers. I promise you, sales will explode!

That’s it for Today. No more free-of-charge tips, if you are interested in more you got my mail adress…:o)

Michael

I hope you do the three door Cee’d with a good auto box as I can only drive an auto. Good to see you’re keen to respond to enquiries too. Can’t help but notice that the car has a passing resemblence to the original Audi A3 and I wonder if that has anything to do with your recent design recruitment staff ?

Hi all,

Great initiaive to launch the blog for open discussion.
On the other end of the KIA poduct scale to Cee’d is your great product
the Grand Carnival/Sedona.

Love your innovative thinking. Keep it up.
Thomas

Did you see the great article in USA Today about Kia hot weather testing? Check it out online at usatoday.com. Be sure to watch the video, too.

Alex – Everybody, here’s the link to the article in USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-09-04-autos-test_N.htm?csp=34#uslPageReturn

SG Petch Kia – Actually the range you mentioned includes both gasoline and diesel. Diesel 1.6 (low) has 90PS and 1.6 (high) has 115PS. Diesel 2.0 has 135PS/140PS. 143PS is gasoline 2.0. The same range applies to all cee’d family.

Hi guys!

I’m a Hyundai-Kia “fan” in Australia but I have to admit that all the excitement has been wiped out of me ofter I saw the teaser pics of the pro_cee’d… sure, it has the concept’s creases and stuff, but the little details like the lighting arrangements and the chrome, amongst the many things that made the concept a stunner is gone. I especially like the intergrated dual tailpipes on the concept, but that too has been replaced by a boring single tailpipe. I hope Peter Schreyer can bring Kia some more profit with some cool designs so that Kia’s cars can look like the concepts in the future, not just some ordinary car. Look at the new BMW M3 – I know they are on a different level, but they can produce the same thing as the cocept!

Still a fan of Kia,
Patrick…

Hello to All!
I’m an owner of KIA Rio new model and a very satisfied one. I’m glad that KIA made this blog. Keep on the good work guys!
Thanks for the link for the article on USAToday.

Best Regards from Croatia!

Hi,
It is very nice to see way you at Kia fight for us customers, interesting dealership websites, 7 year warranty, now blog…About blog technical issue: work on firefox compatibility . Themes that I would like to read about: How does Kia look at cars made in China; What went wrong with Rover; Why is Kia better than Hyundai; Why is Kia better than it’s European counterparts; Kia at Top Gear

First of all – hats off for the blog idea!
I currently own a cee’d – it’s simply great and I love it.
It actually makes me proud to own a Kia. I’ve had it with snobbery over this brand – now I can fight back owners of astra, golf & focus.
I was wondering whether concept cars will be present at the SIAB in Bucharest, Romania this fall. I’d love to see the pro-ceed there as I’m seriously thinking of getting one as soon as they are available.

I’m an American living in Boston. The one obvious difference that I notice when I go shopping for new vehicles are the look of the dealerships. When I drive by dealerships especially at Honda and Toyota, their buildings, the signs and the floors are inredibly modern and fresh. It’s very inviting. However, walking into a Kia or Hyundai dealership makes me feel that I am at a used car store. Moreover, most of the American dealerships which carry Hyundai or Kia are joint dealerships that sell American brands such as Chevy. Many Americans today are staying away from domestic brands because of its poor quality and lack of refinement and reliability. I do see that Kia and Hyundai are doing an incredible job of creating new vehicles that are on par with the best of the Japanese, however. If the Korean automakers want to truly capture the American market, they need to rethink about the way the dealerships are dispursed throughout the country. Separate them from the domestic brands and build brand new buildings. Draw the drive-by customers in. There are still a lot of people in this country who believe that Korean vehicles are unreliable. The cars may be solid and are starting to change the minds of most people, the dealerships must do something to stay on par with the likes of Nissan, Toyota and Honda dealerships.

Hey guys, Haddy from ShowSpectra.com here! The Pro_Cee’d definatly looks sweet! I really hope that the America’s will see such a production car. I am more hoping for more of a performance coupe than a 2 door hatch though. Keep it up Kia, and keep going in the right direction of higher performance!

S. Haddy
StreetKiaz.com Moderator
KFXPerformance.com Designer
ShowSpectra.com Driver and Owner

I hope the Ceed comes to the USA soon. I own 3 Kias and would buy a Ceed if it were offered.

Ordener – No concept cars are planned to be on hand at the SIAB in Bucharest, Romania this fall.

All I can say is that as a Kia sales rep, I’d love to be able to offer the Cee’d family to my Canadian customers. By the way…can’t wait for the Frankfurt show to open, I’ve been looking at a wallpaper of the new Sports Coupe Concept teaster pics for the last two weeks. The drooling is making a real mess of my desk.

P.S. Any plans for diesels over here? I’d love to offer a Sorento that got 40 MPG.

Hey, Michael. Congrats. This is cool. Hope you guys set a new standard with this official blog. Very happy to see this development.

So the cee’d isn’t coming to America. However, I belive that you guys have something for the 3rd generation Kia Spectra/Cerato (Kia’s best selling model). So, I wouldn’t worry to much about the cee’d. I’m sure Kia has made a second generation Spectra. Maybe it could look better than cee’d. Naaaaa…….. who knows?

So the cee’d isn’t coming to America. However, I belive that you guys have something for the 3rd generation Kia Spectra/Cerato (Kia’s best selling model). So, I wouldn’t say “Dang no cee’d for North Americans” to soon. I’m sure Kia has made a thrid generation Spectra. Maybe it will look better than cee’d. Naaaaa…….. who knows?

Hello together :-)

The 3 door Cee’d looks really good!
Such a model will become most probably my next car!

The only thing that disturbs me a little bit at Kia in gernal is the special equipment concept.

Since the equipment and motorizing will be probably similar to the 5 door Cee’d version, I regarded the (Germans) price and special equipment lists.

My dream Cee’d has a glass sun roof, park sensor, beautiful black drapery seat covers and everything which in the LX equipment is available.

Unfortunately there is no glass sun roof and park sensor in the LX equipment and I have to select the more expensive EX equipment. You get the two things, however only in a package with drapery/leathers seat covers.

The problem is not the surcharge, separates that you get something that you would not like. I really don’t like leather seat covers, but I have to buy these with a glass sun roof! Why?

Do you understand which I mean?

It would be beautifully thing if interior and function equipment could be available in different packages. Or could be an option put out some parts of a package.

This is only an idea of me, but it would be a very nice to see something like that in the future.

Finally I want to say, that this Blog is an outstanding idea!
Further so with such fresh ideas!

Yours sincerely
Marcus Wiederhold

Hi, HS Park!

Greetings from S’pore here! Very good initiative by KIA to set up this blog for us!

Rumours of Ceed comin to S’pore in year end confirmed?If so,can you bring in the manual gearbox versions of pro_ceed here…please…I would really want a affordable and nice looking 3-dr hatch with manual power!

What is witth pro cee*d concept from Paris? That design is much better from present pro cee*d (3 doors)! Car beauty is in simple fluidity lines like in concept. If future Kia pro cee*d will be like in Paris I and many my friends will buy it ,in different case I don*t think so.

Hello!

My name is Tobi and I’m from Germany.

I think, it’s a good idea to get in touch with customers on this way.

I am a potential buyer of the Pro C’eed.
But there are a few things I want to let you know and I need to know from you.

1. It’s great, that it is possible to get every C’eed with a petrol motor as a LPG-Version. In my opinion that’s a big plus! LPG is cheaper than petrol and it’s ecologically friendly (lower CO2 output).

2. I am not very satisfied with the German version of the Kia-web page. Why isn’t there a car configurator available?

3. Are there any plans to offer the C’eed with a 6-Speed Manual Transmission? Would be much more comfortable and would imply a lower consumption for all customers. And that would be ecologically friendly too. The 6-Speed Manual Transmission is a must for me.

4. Will the Eco-C’eed be available as a LPG-Version too?

So, that’s it for the moment.

Thank you.

Hey, im from South-Africa, im currantly working for Kia vryheid in south-Africa, im very very proud to be working for Kia, it is a wonderful product and our south – african slogan “the power to surprise”, really means what it says,kia is surprising all of us and our customers every time a new product gets launched. I’m sure we will all be a big part of helping Kia reach there goal for 2010 in south-africa to be under the top 5.

believe me you will never be disapointed with a kia product, i believe in Kia and know for a fact Kia has a great future a-head, and is going to exceed everybody’s expectations with the new Cee’d.

Enjoy the day
Kind regards
Lourika de beer

Hey, Lourika. Also I am working for Kia (delaer) in Canary Isl. and we used the same slogan. I know the way of Hyundai and Kia in Europe and I can tell you that the new vehicles are excellents, are a great products and I am agreed with you that Kia will have a great future.
Have a nice day
P. Ruiz

Hello Kia fans!

I’m very happy to see that Kia has done that much progress through Ceed.I’m also a member of Kia family in Greece as a dealer, and also little bit of a rally fan as most of Greeks, so I was just wondering if Kias next new model Proceed will get homologation for rally purpose, or any type of rallying especially WRC .I’m already racing a Hyundai Accent group A and I’m really looking forward to represent Kia and especially Proceed as a new rally car. Is there anyone who responsibly with more information inside Kia, can inform me if there is any possibility for this to happen?

Thanks everybody Im really looking forward for an answer.

Love it!!! When will it be on the market in America???

I am a potential buyer of pro’ ceed. I have some questions:
1.When will it available in Greece?
2.How much will it cost? Are the prices expected to be similar to ceed’s?
3.What are the main differences from ceed?
Thanks in advance!

Hello Michael and other KIA people,
first of all congrats on this iniative, setting up a worldwide blog
is really a good thought.
I guess the problem for you will be the huge number of msgs coming in daily.
I am living in Greece and driving, since 15 June, a Cee’d LX 1.4with sunroof.
I am very happy with the car, have done 7600 klms till now (holiday trips mainly).
I must say that this car is easy to drive, easy to handle and fast.
So overall i have no complaints.

My question is if there will be a forum in the future on which we can exchange opinions, comments, suggestions and complaints.

I realise this will be hard with the whole world being able to use it, but still.

Last but not least, the site is very clear, easy to navigate and shows a lot of interesting information.
Keep up the good work, and i wish to KIA to become one of Europe’s top car manufacturers.
If i may make a forecast for th future, i will say that with cars like the Cee’d KIA will be in the European top 5 in 2010.

All the best !!

hello.i’m 21 years old and i like ceed a lot but pro-ceed seems better for my age.could you please tell me when it’s going to be on market at greece?also,are there any tuning parts for pro-ceed?ty!!!!

dimitris – Hello. You’re right! The pro_cee’d is targeted for your age group. The pro_cee’d will hit the European market during December 07 and January 08.

Hello.I’m from Romania and even if I don’t work in automotive industry I read a lot about it. In Romania and in Europe also I think, Ceed comes with a 7 year guaranty. Nice! I enter a dealer Kia and I asked what means this: in fact are only 3 year complete guaranty and for the rest 4 years it covers only the engine and the gearbox and this till 160.000km.. When I’ll sell my car I’ll offer 20 Year guaranty: for the back seats!

By who was Pro_cee’d designed?
Peter?

Boris – pro_cee’d design project was headed up by Gregory Guillaume and his design team in Europe. Gregory Guillaume is head of European Design Center

Hello from greece!

I’ve compared both cars, 5dr & 3dr and noticed that the pro_ceed lacks of equipment such as ESP,rear electr windows & sunroof, please correct me if I am wrong! (hope so) Proud owner of a kia “pride”, 160k km on the meter and still kicks like a horse.

HELLO FROM GREECE!
I WANT TO BUY KIA PRO CEED,BUT I WANT TO ASK IF KIA WILL BE COMING SOON IN GREECE WITH SUNROOF OR TURBO ENGINE!PLEACE TELL ME AND I WILL WAITING WHEN IT COMES!THANK YOU

I hope the Ceed comes to the syria soon. I own kia spectra and morning and would buy a Ceed if it were offered.

Hello i am from Greece and i am a potentional buyer of KIA PRO CEED and i like to ask you if you are thinking to launch in the market the RIM that you have in the CONCEPT PRO CEED and also the LIGHTS. I have asked the representantive here in Greece and they didn’t know anything yet. Please send me a brochure or a leaflet of all the extras you can put in PRO CEED.

(gheyath) Since the cee’d has been developed for the European market, we have no plans to distribute the Kia cee’d or pro_cee’d in Syria.

(KONSTANTINOS) The Kia pro_cee’d is set to launch in January. However, only a limited number of pro_cee’d concept cars were produced just for the show. We do not have plans for those accessories or parts for our mass production vehicles.

What about Australia? Acording to The Chronicle Kia is planning to release the cee’d in Australia. Could you confirm Kia Australia is negotiating with you to bring it there? Here is the article: http://www.kia-world.net/index.php/2007/11/10/ceed-heading-to-australia/

(himi) It is my understanding that there are no current plans to introduce the cee’d family of vehicles in markets other than Europe.

Ive seen the Pro_cee’d concept and its absolutely stunning, however i was slightly disapointed with the production model, its a great looking car but lacks alot of the retro styling that the concept had.
I would very much like to get my hands on a concept vehicle, are there any for sale? or could i get my hands on the alloys shown on the concept?

I really want to buy cee’d in U.S. I don’t know why KIA has no plan to launch cee’d in the us market…. I’m still holding my budget to wait for this vehicle..in Boston

I’ll wait until it comes into U.S market. i want to buy neigher stupid us muscle cars nor jap’s thin body cars with lots of troubles…..

KIA must launch this amazing car in u.s ASAP!!!

Hello again from Greece.Could someone ifnore me if kia is going to enolve in any racing activity?I m really interested in racing this car.Im looking forward for your answer, thank you in advance.

KIA should be crazy not to bring Cee’d to the US. Also, I agree with many people who said that the mass production Pro_cee’d model lost its major appeal. Please bring the Pro_cee’d to the US, but please, please reconfigure its headlights and tailpipes back to the concept version!! If you do, I’ll buy it in a heat beat.

i have it..great car.. i have kia pro cee’d ex sport pack:D crdi 1,6:D…the best…great car really:D:D go KIA

I have been to your port before. The more I read, the more I keep coming back! ;-)

Congratulation, keep the sport alive. As a load organizer and freefly coach at Skydive Arizona I enjoy seen people active on what they love.

Good post, I’d thank to admin and will definitely subscribe RSS.

the videos missing!