Geneva Preview: Kia ex_cee’d Cabrio Concept
Hyundai Group’s attack on the European market continues as the over-ambitious Koreans presented the Kia ex_cee’d Cabrio Concept. The styling of the soft-top Cee’d is the work of Peter Schreyer, Kia’s new Chief Design Officer. Does the name ring a bell? Well, it ought to as Schreyer is considered as the father of Audi’s iconic fist generation TT. Schreyer moved over to Kia last September leaving his job as the head of VW advanced design studios.Based on Kia’s upcoming three-door version of cee’d (due to go into production in December), the ex_cee’d Cabrio features an electric folding fabric roof. According to Schreyer, Kia deliberately chose to avoid the coupe-cabrio craze as they’re convinced that the fabric roof will have a renaissance in the near future. Having driven most of the coupe-cabrios in the European market and unless manufactures find a way to radically improve reliability issues, I can’t say I disagree with him.
Although Kia doesn’t mention it in its press release, last year at the Paris Show I learned that all four versions of the Cee'd (Cabrio, 2.0 GTi, 3door & Station Wagon) will be presented in 2007, with sales commencing in
Kia’s exciting all-new ex_cee’d cabrio concept car will be premiered at the 77th Geneva Motor Show on 6 March.
The styling of the eagerly anticipated ex_cee’d cabrio is the work of Peter Schreyer, Kia’s new Chief Design Officer, and hints at the future direction Kia vehicles could be taking under his guidance.
Based on the new three-door cee’d hatchback, due to go into production at the Zilina factory in Slovakia from December, the ex_cee’d shares the same platform, but features all-new exterior panels and a powered folding fabric roof.
By adopting a fabric roof, the ex_cee’d deliberately goes its own retro way rather than following the trend towards cabrios with folding metal roofs. Peter Schreyer paid special attention to designing a classic cabrio with a traditional soft-top roof: “I’m convinced that the fabric roof will have a renaissance. We’ve all lived with the romantic idea of open-air driving for a long time and for me, the fabric roof is the quintessential element of a truly rewarding cabrio.â€
With its slight wedge shape profile, muscular wings over 19-inch alloy wheels, and aggressive nose with dynamic front styling, the ex_cee’d has instantly found a form that stands out from the cabrio crowd. The cabrio concept is finished in ‘meringue white’ exterior paint with a ‘bitter chocolate’ fabric roof – colours that are echoed by the interior’s two-tone leather.
“With this new cabrio concept car, Kia has once again demonstrated that it is a young, style-conscious company that knows how to combine elegance with dynamics,†enthused Mr Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President and COO Kia Motors.
“The Kia ex_cee’d is a fresh aesthetic high-point in our history, an encouraging sign of the growing internationalisation of our brand and a step in the process of evolving into a European company with Korean roots,†he added.
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