Kia has released additional photos and information on its No 3 concept that will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow. The 13.27-ft long MPV is two inches shorter than the Honda Fit but three inches taller. It also shares design details first seen on other recent Kia concepts starting with the 2007 Kia Kue. Kia's official press release after the jump is short on technical details aside from the dimensions, but we'll get the complete scoop tomorrow after the No 3 concept officially debuts. A big focus will apparently be on "advanced IT technology", whatever that's supposed to mean. We'll find tomorrow, at which time we'll also see the Kia c'eed in two new flavors, a full hybrid and one with auto start/stop.


[Source: Kia]

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.


[Source: Kia]

Stop/start technology is like a trial membership for hybrids: it lets drivers in on the fuel savings and lower carbon emissions without forcing them to become a card-carrying member of the hybrid brigade. Kia is will be offering buyers just such an opportunity by introducing ISG, or Idle, Stop, and Go (also called Intelligent Stop & Go) on the new cee'd.

The ISG will be available on the 1.4- and 1.6-liter gasoline-engined c'eeds, and unlike other stop/start technology, this ISG shuts the engine down not only when the car is stopped, but when it's moving less than four mph. To engage the ISG while the car is moving, the driver puts the car in neutral and depresses the clutch, the engine is shut down, and he or she will be rewarded with 15% better fuel economy in the urban cycle.

The frugal-ized cee'd also benefits from a lighter five-speed gearbox and low-rolling-resistance tires as standard fitment. Later in 2009, the 1.6-liter diesel c'eed will be offered with ISG technology.


[Source: Kia World]

Kia's will have at least two new tricks at the Paris Motor Show, one of them being the Kia Soul. The other will be a Kia cee'd gas-electric hybrid. Already available in coupe, 5-door hatch, and sportwagon variants, a hybrid addition based on the five-door would be a perfect addition to the line. So far, the only details we have is that the c'ee hybrid isn't planned for sale until 2010, when it will join a train of new hybrids from other makers. Kia apparently decided that is when they'll be able to sell enough of them to make a profit. But we will get the complete scoop on it at next week's Paris Motor Show, so you won't have to wait that long.

[Source: Kia World]

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Americans no longer bat an eyelash at the astounding warranty coverage Hyundai and Kia offer on their new vehicles. To us, it's just another selling point for the brands, whose cars continue to improve, offering good style and excellent equipment levels at value prices. Sadly, we aren't getting Kia's new European-designed and built VW Golf-fighter, the c'eed -- a car, by the way, that 'd draw us into a Kia showroom a lot more readily than the Rio5 or Optima. Just saying.

Kia's leaving nothing to chance with the cee'd, and in a page torn from their American playbook, is introducing the car with the best new-vehicle warranty ever offered in Europe and the UK. The 7 year/150,000 kilometer warranty offers bumper-to-bumper coverage for 5 years, with an additional two years covering the powertrain. The warranty doesn't cost anything extra and is fully transferable.

European-market competitors should take note: Kia is playing for keeps.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: Kia UK]

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The third and final Kia cee'd variant has been revealed ahead of next week's Paris auto show. The cee'd sport wagon has the same front end appearance and the same length wheelbase as the cee'd 5-door hatchback, head to the rear of the car, and you'll see some differences.

Unlike the cee'd 5-door with its traditional-looking taillamps, the wagon apes the European estates that it'll be competing directly against and implements tall taillight assemblies that extend up the rear pillars. On top of that, the cee'd wagon is also fitted with an "Inverted L" shaped tailgate whose hinges are set into the roof further than normal to provide better access to the storage area. If you have a hard time visualizing this, think of the way the Dodge Magnum's hatch is configured and you'll get the gist of it. The cee'd wagon sounds like it has a similar configuration. Finally, the wagon gets a set of roof rails that's absent on the hatchbacks.

The cee'd wagon will join the cee'd 5-door and the 3-door pro cee'd concept on the Paris show floor. All three cars will go into production and be built in the new Kia plant in Zilina, Slovakia. The 5-door leads the way, going on sale in December 2006. The wagon we just described is next up, hitting showrooms a year from now in September 2007. Finally, the c'eed 3-door hatch will arrive in December '07.

Unfortunately, all three cee'ds are Europe-only vehicles, so we'll just have to appreciate them from a distance.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source; Kia]