Geneva Preview: Kia No 3 Concept MPV
by Sam Abuelsamid on Feb 24th 2009 at 2:00AM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Kia No 3 concept
At next week's Geneva Motor Show Kia will show off a new crossover concept -- dubbed the No 3 -- and two variants of the c'eed. The No 3 is basically a tall five-door hatch that appears to be based onthe c'eed platform. The 13.27 ft long five-door features a glass roof and an odd diagonal windshield header which stretches from the A-pillar on the passenger side to the B-pillar on the driver side.
The two new c'eed variants are both aimed at reduced fuel consumption. The c'eed ISG is a new regular production model that adds auto-stop-start to the both 1.4- and 1.6-liter versions of the sub-compact sedan, with a claimed boost in urban fuel mileage of around 15%. Kia is also showing a hybrid version of the c'eed that uses the system developed by Hyundai-Kia with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder. The car is part of a test fleet that will be run in Europe this year and averages 49 mpg (US) and emits just 109 g/km of CO2. Expect live shots from the show a week from today.
Gallery: Kia No 3 concept
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[Source: Kia]
All-new MPV Concept heads Kia line-up at Geneva
Kia will be displaying an all-new MPV concept, a range of Idle Stop & Go cars and an
innovative Hybrid at the 79th Salon International de l'Auto which opens in Geneva on 3 March. There will be a total of 18 vehicles on the Kia stand [Stand 5231, Hall 5] including three models making their first appearance in Switzerland – the Kia Soul, upgraded 2009 Kia Sportage compact SUV and upgraded, new-look 2009 Kia Magentis sedan.
Kia No 3 Concept Car
All-new, the Kia No 3 Concept Car redefines the small MPV genre by creating a beautiful car that is also fun-to-drive. The concept features a unique extended windscreen and panorama glass roof with a diagonal supporting bar, an automatic sun visor and the new 'face of Kia' displays the front grille, head lamps and brand logo in a new constellation. The 4045 mm long concept is finished in matt Titanium Grey with contrasting gloss-white accents.
Kia cee'd ISG
The new Kia cee'd ISG (Idle Stop & Go) models, which offer up to 15% fuel savings in city driving, are now on sale in many countries across Europe. Kia's innovative ISG
system automatically switches the engine off when the car is stopped in traffic and restarts the engine instantly when the driver wishes to move off. Kia cee'd ISG cars are available with a choice of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre gasoline engines and each of the three cee'd family bodystyles – five-door hatchback, five-door sporty wagon and three-door pro_cee'd. The 1.4-litre ISG models at Geneva have a 137 g/km CO2 rating.
Kia cee'd Hybrid
Kia Motors has produced a fleet of prototype Kia cee'd Hybrid cars especially for testing and evaluation in Europe. The cee'd Hybrid uses an upgraded powertrain with Kia's Gamma 1.6-litre gasoline engine, mated to a 15kW, 105 Nm AC synchronised
electric motor, a CVT transmission and the new ISG (Idle Stop & Go) system. Kia
calculates that the cee'd Hybrid accelerates to 100 kph in 11.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 185 kph. The prototype achieves fuel consumption of 4.81 litres per 100 km and a CO2 figure of 109 g/km – down 25% compared to the standard 1.6-litre gasoline cee'd.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
timo 2:07AM (2/24/2009)
What a rip-off! Looks just like the new Europen Ford Fiesta!
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Zip 2:32AM (2/24/2009)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_Fista_(2008)_MK7_Trend_5-T%C3%BCrer_front.JPG
Ford Fista
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http://www.autoblog.com/photos/geneva-2009-kia-no-3-concept/1380870/
Kia no 3
Its Perfectly differece each other.
efw 3:01AM (2/24/2009)
This guy has no previous record of posting comments? I bet this person is either Sektor or Trishield or some troll in disguise..
jgp 3:09AM (2/24/2009)
Funny--it looks like a taller Ceed to me.
Especially those doors--the sheetmetal on the doors is directly taken from the Ceed and the 2007 Elantra, which predate the Fiesta.
Sektor 8:53AM (2/24/2009)
LOL looks like I already made a name for myself. It's not me.
It doesn't look like the Ford Fiesta, but I am sure I've seen this somewhere.
XJ 10:31AM (2/24/2009)
Well then I guess Ford ripped off Kia, since Kia made the Pro Ceed concept back in 2006.
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2006/09/paris-show-kia-pro-ceed-concept.html
Jubei 10:58AM (2/24/2009)
Rip off the Ford? I think not. Your talking about a Ford. US made car. Which basically means a piece of crap. Yes your Ford will run well for about 4 years. Then a cascading set of problems will begin. From engine issues, trims falling off, pieces of the car just falling apart. You know, the typical long term quality of American made cars. There is none.
bocephus 8:53PM (2/24/2009)
@ Jubei
Through personal experience I have found you to be wrong in every aspect of your comment. I trust that you have in fact driven and owned such “a piece of crap” as you mentioned. However, owning a Ford myself and, having a family that owns only Fords, I take pride in the fact that my vehicle was designed and built in America. I use my truck for landscaping work and everyday driving and it has never once let me down. I have undoubtedly pushed it beyond its payload and towing capacities and yet, it kept and keeps running like a champ. It disgusts me how you have bit and swallowed hook, line, and sinker on the media's depiction of American automakers. I know that your Civic is just awesome and that you love it to death but, to me, it’s nothing. It evokes no emotion at all. It’s not pretty, it’s not ugly, it’s nothing. I will agree that Ford and the rest of the Big Three have also produced some "dead" cars but, cars such as the new Taurus and the new Fiesta are clearly a giant step in the right direction. It’s prejudices such as the one you are holding against American automakers that will cost thousands their jobs and millions their livelihood. If you haven't looked at Ford lately, look again.
finbred 2:16AM (2/24/2009)
More like the new Citroen C3 Picasso or DS inside concept in my eyes...
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James 2:22AM (2/24/2009)
Yes, I was going to say, this looks very much like Citroen's current design language. Either way, it's not a bad direction for Kia, and should build on its very successful c'eed.
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Alex E. 3:07AM (2/24/2009)
Actually, my impression was that Citroen had ripped off Peter Schreyer's work at Kia. Under Schreyer, a number of concepts were shown which used such design language, such as the Kia Kee, Kia Ex_Ceed convertible (I can never get the hyphens/underscores right), and earlier Kia Soul concepts. A lot of the cues were toned down or eliminated on production models, but then the Citroen C3 Picasso later showed up looking VERY much like the Kia Soul and incorporating many of those same cues first seen on Schreyer's concepts. I'm referring to things like the use of geometric voids to create shapes and forms, etc. For a very concrete example, compare the interior of the Kia Kee concept with the production C3 Picasso interior. The air vents are almost a direct rip off! I was saddened that either lack of boldness on the part of management or prohibitively high production costs had caused such dynamic designs to get watered down, but it's interesting to see an Asian car maker's styling getting imitated by Europeans for a change instead of vice-versa! With a talented designer like Schreyer on board, Kia's model range is shaping up to be quite stylish, in addition to being increasingly well-made and engineered. They're in the process of building a strong brand identity, and I'd say their future looks very bright! (Interestingly, Hyundai has yet to come up with a truly compelling image or cohesive design language.)
James 2:48PM (2/24/2009)
Alex, I think you have a good point,
but I would argue that Citroen's current design language is an evolution of many of their other designs, many of which were in development or even on the road before the Kia's you're referencing were unveiled. I think some good examples are the current C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso (unveiled in January 2007) which essentially look like a minivan sized version of the C3 Picasso, as well as the C1 city car, which has been on sale in Europe since 2005, and the 2nd generation C5 (unveiled in October 2007). If you look closely at these vehicles, you will see several common themes inside and out that I don't think are influenced by Kia.
I actually would also argue that Kia's design language is overall much more influenced by European designs in general than vice versa, and perhaps this is another case where we see similarities, but actually the designs really had little to do with each other.
Alex E. 12:04AM (2/25/2009)
James, I think you are absolutely right on many points. However, the window line on the C3 Picasso does look very reminiscent of the Kia Soul concept first unveiled in early 2006. Indeed, the overall shape of the C3 is like a slightly more rounded and blobbier version of the Soul. Who was influenced by whom? I don't know. I do know that certain details, such as the design of the headlights and tailights on the original Soul concept, clear, with geometric forms within, I have since seen on many other cars from many other makers. I do not know who first came up with these details, but I noticed them first on Kia concepts. Of course, it's fair to say that Kia's design is European-influenced, as Peter Schreyer is, indeed, a European designer. Plus, we now seem to be in an age in which car designers are all very much "inspired" by one another's work. There seems to be constant back and forth borrowing of cues, and the Kia No. 3 concept certainly reflects influences from Ford and Citroen. Plus, I concede that Citroen's current design language is about my favorite in the automotive world. So your points are well taken!!
Zip 2:28AM (2/24/2009)
LOL. it's pretty unique design than current Lexus design.
Kia cars designed by former audi TT designer, and its design center locate in German.
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izorro 2:31AM (2/24/2009)
I looks a little like the Fiesta...Just add Lime Green
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Torrent 3:20AM (2/24/2009)
Hey. I think it's pretty adorable.
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Mazda FTW! 7:41AM (2/24/2009)
It def. has a Fiesta look to it. You can argue all you want (and Zip will) but it's true.
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Torrent 10:45AM (2/24/2009)
True, but are they stepping all over Ford's copyrighted toes? Not at all.
Mazda FTW! 11:15AM (2/24/2009)
Yeah it's not. Because they probably did just enough to avoid infringement. Reminds of the episode of the Simpsons where they change the Olympic national anthem just so to not pay royalty fees lol.
jsjs 2:12AM (2/27/2009)
It looks much more like the Citroen than the Fiesta (are you blind as well as slow?).
The Mazda2, otoh, is almost exactly like the Fiesta (yes, they share the same platform but that's no excuse).
And oh, the Mazda3 has a Pontiac Vibe "vibe" to it.