The New Kia cee'd

Designed in Europe; built in Europe; sold exclusively in Europe, Kia's most important car to date, the cee'd, hits UK showrooms today. Replacing the Cerato, it is the catalyst that will push Kia on to a three per cent overall UK market share and 100,000 sales annually.

In terms of packaging, quality, driving dynamics, safety, style and image, it takes Kia on to a level that matches or surpasses anything in its class in Europe. A C-segment five-door hatchback, cee'd is the first Kia to be designed in Europe and the first to come out of our new state-of-the-art factory in Zilina, Slovakia.

As a demonstration of faith in the quality of the car and the standards of workmanship in that new factory, cee'd is backed by a unique seven-year warranty. It covers the entire drivetrain for seven years or 100,000-miles and it is transferable to subsequent owners. The rest of the car, bumper-to-bumper, is covered for five years. There is even a five-year or 100,000-mile paint warranty, ten-year anti perforation warranty and, should the worst ever happen, a three-year roadside assistance package, all included as standard.

Though Kia may be moving up in the world, we haven't forgotten where we've come from - or the many customers who have remained loyal to us through the years. cee'd will continue to deliver the outstanding value for money for which Kia is renowned. Prices start at less than £11,000 and stretch to just over £14,000, while the standard specification of every model is truly exceptional.

In cee'd, Kia does not just have a genuine challenger to the European class leaders, but a car that is better than them in many significant areas. Who else trusts their build quality and reliability enough to provide a warranty even close to that of the cee'd?

With its dramatic shift in style, European aesthetics, German engineering, unique seven-year manufacturer’s warranty and the value for money that's always been part of the Kia buying proposition, it's ideally placed to succeed.

And the five-door model is not the end of the story. As we revealed at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, we will add a stylish estate later this year, while towards the end of 2007 we will reveal a sporty three-door version.

Home-Grown Style

If you want a car to appeal to European customers, there's only one place to design it - Europe.

That's why the Kia cee'd was honed in Kia's European design offices in Frankfurt, with input from the main design centre in Korea. The result is a thoroughly contemporary five-door design that slips seamlessly into the European C-segment landscape. At the same time, it echoes styling features highlighted on other Kia models, interspersed with the new Kia design DNA that will be phased into future models.

The clean design theme that characterises the exterior is carried through to the cabin, and the fit and finish and attention to detail are truly exceptional. It all adds to the car’s premium feel.

Thanks to a long wheelbase, wide track and tall roofline, cee'd affords up to five occupants an amount of space that is just as impressive as their surroundings.

The semi-bucket front seats have wide cushions and firm support with lumbar adjustment and active headrests as standard. The driver’s seat also has a standard height adjustment feature. A rake and reach adjustable steering column is also standard across the range.

The rear seats are split 60:40 to allow owners to vary passenger and luggage space. The cushions flip upwards and forwards into a vertical position, allowing the backrests to be lowered flat without the need to remove headrests first. A sizeable 340-litre boot can therefore be enlarged progressively to a maximum of 1300 litres.