2017 Frankfurt Motor Show: Kia teases ‘stretched’ hot hatch of the future

KIA has teased a sharp-looking wagon concept ahead of the project car’s official reveal – and naming – at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Opel Astra and Ford Focus rival features styling coming out of the Korean carmaker’s Frankfurt-based European design centre, headed by former Audi chief architect Peter Shreyer.

Described as an “extended hot hatch”, the unnamed concept introduces what Kia claims is a “new body type” – what we believe may be a liftback – heavily influenced by the Stinger that “retains the athleticism of the current Pro_cee’d model, while combining its striking visual presence with a dash of real-world versatility.”

“Reworked and reimagined for a new generation of driver, it puts forward a bold vision for a potential member of the next-generation Cee’d family,” it said. Of note, it features a Citroen DS-style shark fin built into the C-pillar.

Cooking models of the Kia Cerato-sized Cee’d haven’t sold in Australia – although they have been considered for our market – with Kia developing the small car family primarily for the European market, where it sold in three- and five-door hatchback form, and as a station wagon. However, we did get a version of the Pro-Cee’d GT (pictured, below) for a couple of years from 2013, powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that didn’t quite live up to the promise of the Pro_cee'd's edgy design. The six-speed manual Pro_cee’d’s success here was also crippled by the lack of an automatic transmission.

However, the concept is believed to look further ahead than the next-generation Kia small car due next year, instead hinting at something that could be up to a couple of generations away.

A Kia Australia spokesman said the slow take-up of the Pro_cee’d in Australia – the car was eventually withdrawn after selling fewer than 800 – meant it was unlikely that the Korean car maker would reconsider the slightly performance-honed version of the Cee’d – including a potential liftback variant – for the Australian market.