Kia took the wraps off its all-new Ceed hatchback
earlier this year, but it’s not done yet. The Korean automaker says it will
unveil the new ProCeed just a couple of weeks from now at a dedicated event on
September 13, and showcase it to the public at the Paris Auto Show on October
2.
But before it does, it’s giving us this first
official glimpse at what to expect. Where the previous Pro_cee’d
(with or without the odd characters in the name) was a three-door sport hatch,
the decline of that segment has prompted Kia to go with a different bodystyle
this time.
Previewed by the Proceed concept shown last year,
the new ProCeed will be a five-door “shooting brake” – which we expect (from
the spy shots of the prototypes we’ve seen so far) to mean a sleek five-door
wagon. (Think more along the likes of the Mercedes CLA or CLS shooting brakes
than the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso, but at a much more accessible price point in any
case.)
That would place the new Kia ProCeed somewhere in
between the Ceed hatchback and the Ceed Sportswagon, while retaining the
model’s three-body lineup. Roofline side, we’d expect the same technical
details as its stablemates, including engines ranging from 1-1.6 liters – and
potentially a more performance-oriented GT version.
Kia isn’t the first automaker to
leave the three-door hatchback form behind. The VW Polo, Seat Ibiza, Citroën
C3, and Peugeot 208 have all moved away from the slow-selling format, to name
just a few. And the Audi A3 is expected to follow the same route. At this rate,
we wouldn’t be surprised to see others pursue a similar approach as customers
apparently favor the extra portals, but still expect the same sporty look and
feel.
