Kia could be poised to enter the fast-growing European C-segment convertible market.

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Spokesmen and the official press release say only that the Exceed cabrio concept car making its debut at the Geneva show next month “gives a clear indication that Kia could produce a stunning looking cabrio” but it looks near production-ready to us.


If launched, this would be the fourth body variant of the Slovak-built Ceed line, launched a few months ago as a five-door hatchback, and with a three-door hatch and five-door wagon already confirmed for production.


The styling of the fabric-roof cabrio – potential rivals such as the Ford Focus all have folding metal tops – is the work of new Kia design chief Peter Schreyer and the model is based on the three-door Ceed hatchback. It has the same wheelbase, but features several new exterior panels, while sharing the floor-pan and numerous unseen components with the three-door car, plus a powered folding fabric roof.


By adopting a fabric roof for the Exceed, Kia deliberately goes its own retro-way rather than following the trend towards cabrios with folding metal roofs, the automaker said. Schreyer paid special attention to designing a classic cabrio with a traditional soft-top roof.

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“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, it is the fabric roof that is the quintessential element of a truly rewarding cabrio,” he said.


The concept is finished in ‘meringue white’ with a ‘bitter chocolate’ fabric roof and the interior is trimmed in two-tone leather.