The new three door Kia Pro Ceed, which made its World Premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, marks a major expansion of the Ceed range.
Kia Motors’ new European manufacturing facility at Zilina in Slovakia is operating so efficiently that production of the new Kia Pro Ceed has begun six weeks ahead of schedule.
Mr Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe, said “Since its launch in Europe in December 2006, orders for more than 100,000 Ceed five door models have been received, and this model, with its 5 Star Euro NCAP safety rating, has played a key role in raising Kia brand awareness as well as sales. Now, the introduction of the Kia Pro Ceed will expand our appeal to a different audience and will attract numerous European consumers who find three door cars particularly attractive and who have not yet considered our products.”
The Kia Pro Ceed has an extended nose, a shallower front grille, new-style headlamps, a wider bumper with a prominent lip spoiler, a deeper central air intake and larger fog lights. The windscreen is much shallower and the doors are 276 mm longer with a unique design. The side profile is truly distinctive, with a beltline that rises much more steeply towards the rear of the car. Despite its lowered, more sporty appearance, Pro Ceed provides generous legroom front and rear, and luggage capacity is a class-leading 340 litres with the rear seats upright, the same as its five door sister car.
With a highly-trained staff of 2,600 employees working two shifts, Zilina is now building four different Kia models – Ceed five door hatchback, Ceed Sporty Wagon, Pro Cee’d three door and Sportage SUV – on the same assembly lines.
Kia is confident that its Zilina facility will now go forwards to establish new benchmarks for vehicle quality and productivity – manufacturing 100 cars per employee per year when fully operational and becoming the most productive car plant in Europe.
The new three door Kia Pro Ceed will arrive in UK showrooms in February. For more information call Kia Darlington on 0845 112 5007 (local rate)