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Kia to Reveal Three-Door cee'd at Frankfurt

For years, North Americans have been teased with some of the compact carsthat are offered in Europe, but not here. Cars like the Ford Focus, Renault Mégane and Peugeot 307 are all vehicles that would certainly do well here in North America. Thankfully some manufacturers – Opel, Volvo, Audi – have started to offer their compact cars here, but there's a new foreign player that's quickly grabbing our attention. It's the Kia cee'd (say: seed), the stylish new hatchback that's got us all envious of our neighbors across the pond.

For those not in the know, Kia has not only been making tremendous headway in its North American markets, but it's pushing forward in Europe as well. Having hired ex-Audi stylist Peter Schreyer and putting mainstream

It took a while for Kia to show the three-door cee'd off, but it's finally unveiled and it looks great. (Photo: Kia)

European brands in its targets, it's come up with some fantastic products. The Korean automaker has launched the five-door cee'd and the wagon form of the car in Europe, and now it's going to expand the lineup with the next installment in the project, the new three-door model called the pro_cee'd (say: proceed), named after the concept that proceeded it.

It's not unusual for European automakers to revise the two- or three-door versions of their mainstream cars for a sportier look in order to differentiate them visually. To

Interior space is said to be just as good as the 5-door, despite being shorter. (Photo: Kia)

give the pro_cee'd a sleeker shape, Kia chose to lower the roofline and give the car a more angled windshield compared to the more upright five-door. They've also stretched out the length of the body by 0.6 inches, which besides adding a bit of extra trunk space, helps to balance out the chopped roofline. In order to create this look, most of the bodywork on the pro_cee'd model is new; the rear quarter panels, doors, window and tailgate are all exclusive.

Kia didn't just want to create a pretty face with the pro_cee'd. As European marques try to one-up each other on the driving experience that their cars deliver, Kia has stood up to the challenge creating a special sport model for the pro_cee'd. The car gains a stiffer suspension setup and larger,17-inch

Sports suspension and 17-inch wheels should help to elevate the pro_cee'd's handling ability. (Photo: Kia)

wheels that are wrapped in 225-width rubber. The interior of these cars also includes alloy pedal covers, stainless steel kick plates and unique tire tread interior trim. The red hatchback you see here in pictures features this package.

The pro_cee'd will be offered with the same engine lineup for Europe as the regular cee'd, including 1.4- and 1.6-liter gasoline engines, two different 1.6-liter turbodiesels and a 2.0-liter turbodiesel. It's interesting to see how Kia has embraced the European way of making the top of the line engine a fuel-efficient diesel.

“With performance, ride and handling that is even more responsive, the Pro_cee'd will attract European consumers who find three-door cars particularly appealing,” said Jean-Charles Lievens, senior vice president of Kia Motors Europe.

The pro_cee'd will make its debut in Frankfurt this September, and only time will tell if it becomes available here.

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