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Kia will officially whip the cover off its jaunty Euro-only (why, God... WHY?) pro-cee'd 3-door hatchback on September 11 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. We'll be there to bring you on-scene coverage, but in the interim, Kia has provided a new set of photos showing the car in its entirety. Based on the same architecture that underpins the 5-door cee'd, the pro-cee'd is longer, lower, lighter and sportier-looking thanks to styling elements unique to the 3-door.

Despite the differences in appearance, the pro-ceed boasts interior passenger room on par with its five-door brother, thanks to its identical wheelbase length. And while on the subject of the interior, it's very appealing to the eye -- a requirement if it's to be a viable player against the likes of the VW Golf. Longer doors with 70-degree openings help make backseat ingress and egress less cumbersome (thus minimizing Britney-style exhibitions), and cargo capacity behind the rear seat is said to equal that of the more reserved and outwardly practical cee'd. The pro-cee'd will be available in a wide array of trim, engine, and color combinations when it hits the Continent next year. We'll take one of the 143-horsepower cars equipped with the Sport Pack (shown). Oh wait. That's right, we can't. Bummer.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: Kia]



PRESS RELEASE:
KIA UNVEILS FINAL CHAPTER IN cee'd STORY

Longer, lower and lighter than its five-door sister car, the new Kia pro_cee'd – to be debuted at the Frankfurt International Motor Show on 11 September - brings yet more style and more sportiness to the C-segment in Europe.

"The new Kia pro_cee'd offers consumers sensationally stylish looks with a truly sporty feel to the driving experience, while also retaining most of the practicality and versatility of the popular cee'd five-door hatchback," enthuses Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe. "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."

The 4250 mm long pro_cee'd delivers class-leading passenger and luggage space. The cee'd family wheelbase (2650 mm) is retained, so despite its lowered, sporty appearance, pro_cee'd provides generous legroom front and rear, and luggage capacity with the rear seats upright matches the five-door model. The 19-model line-up of three-door hatchbacks is scheduled to go on sale early next year.

"With the pro_cee'd we have communicated sportiness mostly through the car's exterior design," explains Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Kia Motors Europe. "At the front, we have extended the nose by 10 mm and introduced a shallower grille, new-style headlamps, a wider, lower bumper with a prominent lip spoiler, a deeper central air intake and larger fog lights set in elliptical depressions.

"It is the side profile that makes pro_cee'd truly distinctive. The windscreen is much shallower and the vehicle height is reduced by 30 mm. The doors, which are 276 mm longer than the front doors of the five-door cee'd model, have a unique design with a more prominent swage line that highlights the sporty character of this model and a beltline that rises much more steeply towards the rear of the car.

"The side window, C-Pillar and tailgate spoiler are all new and although the rear screen is steeply raked, rear headroom remains good. Unlike other cee'd models, the exhaust tailpipe on the pro_cee'd is boldly displayed," concludes Guillaume.

The larger pro_cee'd doors with their extra-wide 70 degree openings ensure good access to the rear seats. To boost practicality, Kia's designers re-styled the rear seat cushion, which is now fixed, and re-engineered the 60/40 split backrest so that it is easy to release and simply folds down onto the cushion with no need to remove the head restraints.

With pro_cee'd, Kia is offering customers the full choice of cee'd family powertrains – five Euro4 compliant engines, with power outputs covering a 90 ps to 143 ps range, and three transmissions – as offered in the five-door hatchback and wagon models.

Like its siblings, pro_cee'd will also be available with three equipment levels plus 12 exterior colours and a wide range of optional extras – so that each customer can create a 'personalised' vehicle to suit their needs and tastes.

The optional Sports Pack, which comprises 17-inch alloy wheels with 225/45 R17 tyres, stiffer dampers, sport-concept interior trim (with 'tyre-track' pattern fabric and silver stitching, plus alloy pedals and stainless-steel door-scuff plates) is expected to be a popular choice with pro_cee'd buyers.