Kia Proceed (2007): first official pictures

By Chris Chilton

First Official Pictures

21 August 2007 09:22

Isn’t that last year’s Proceed concept car?

No, but you’re on the right lines. Our first glimpse of the Ceed was the Proceed concept, a sharp-looking three-door with hints of Audi A3 in the styling. But when the production car appeared it had morphed into a slightly less interesting five-door on wheels the size of a CD. The good news is that a year on, the concept finally made it to production as the three-door Ceed which is unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Kia insists on calling it the pro_cee'd but CAR won't pander: it's the Proceed as far as we're concerned.

More than you might think. Because while the 2650mm wheelbase is retained, the nose is 10mm longer, the grille shallower and the bumper, headlamps and air intake are all different. Move to the side and you’ll notice that the windscreen is actually shallower than the five-door’s and the overall height chopped by 30mm. Obviously the doors are longer to allow access to the rear but belt- and swagelines are both more aggressive to bolster the three-door’s sporty credentials. At the rear there's a pronounced chrome tailpipe for the exhaust and an optional Sports Pack brings 17-inch alloys and stiffer dampers.

By Chris Chilton