The redesigned Kia Ceed, unveiled at the Geneva show in both hatchback and estate (SW) guises, will be more European than the previous generation, according to the men responsible for designing and engineering them.
The current cars, which will be progressively replaced during the course of 2012, were the first Kias to be designed, engineered, built and sold exclusively in Europe, and were given an even more European twist when they were updated half way through their production cycles. But the replacements advance this even further.
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“It’s not just about Europeanising the car but also about improving it as a product, and this is what we’ve done, in my opinion,” said chief design officer Peter Schreyer.
“The old car was a European product, but this goes a step further. You feel it as soon as you sit inside. The seating position is different, you feel a different atmosphere – like more of a cockpit. It meets more European expectations in the materials, the quality, the dashboard and the premium feel.
“The cabin is further forward, the windscreen is at a steeper angle and the window line is lower so that you have better visibility. For me it is all about how you feel inside the car,” Schreyer said.
The operation of the controls and the choice of surfaces – what Germans refer to as haptics – plus the car’s ergonomics also play a big part and are a large part of the success of German brands in other market sectors, Schreyer said.
“The Germans enjoy a leading position in refining products. Maybe it’s because Germany still has no speed limits and cars need to drive safely under these conditions. It’s the way I’ve been educated.”
The SW is particularly sporty and aggressive looking and even has the rarity of different rear doors to the hatchback.
“In Germany the C-segment is known as the [VW] Golf class and cars in that segment have to fulfill a lot of different demands. The wagon can be more attractive and stylish – cool, even. We had to change the rear doors because the window line of the hatchback would not have worked for the estate but, if we had designed them around the estate, they would have compromised the hatchback.”
Joachim Hahn, head of powertrain development at Kia Europe, believes the 1.6-litre direct-injection (GDI) Gamma-family engine and twin-clutch DCT automated gearbox – both firsts for the model line – are the most European of the cars’ mechanical features.
“With the Gamma GDI engine and DCT we can have the same CO2 emissions of 119g/km irrespective of transmission,” he said. The DCT replaces the conventional four-speed torque converter automatic in the current Ceed. Although initially available only with the GDI engine, it will later be paired with a high-performance GDI unit and also with diesel engines.
Kia is also working on a one-litre, three-cylinder, turbocharged engine to rival the Ecoboost unit developed by Ford for the Focus and this may eventually be offered in the Ceed.
“What we have to keep in mind is whether it will make the customer happy in real-world behaviour,” Hahn said.
