2006 Kia Spectra Review

Specifications

ceed Concept Hints at Upcoming Kia Hatchback

Kia unveiled its new ceed concept at the 76th Salon de lAutomobiles in Switzerland at the end of February, but the Korean brand didnt just show off a new concept, it also revealed its new design language and, quite possibly, its focus on the European market.  This new design is based around Kias future C-segment model, which will begin production at its first ever European plant in Slovakia starting in December of this year.  Along with being designed and built in Europe, Kia states that the new C-segment model will focus on fulfilling 100 percent of the needs of its European customers.

This new concept shares some of the design traits of other Kia concepts. For example, the new models front end design poses a strong resemblance to the noses of both the Slice and the Multi-S.  In the ceed, the headlights stretch rearward along the front fenders much like in the Slice, while the lower grille opening is similar to that in the Multi-S.  These styling details seem to fit together nicely in the new concept.  Kia has taken traits from its other decent looking concepts and put them together to come up with a truly sleek looking car, one that we can only hope will influence future compacts destined for the North American market.

At Geneva, the ceed was shown with 19-inch polished aluminum wheels and 265/30 low-profile tires, giving it a bold-looking stance, while coating its skin in somewhat conservative English Pewter paint, rather than opting for a more dramatic hue, like orange or purple - the Sport Concept boasted a bold orange-yellow paint scheme, the Mojave pickup was drenched in a deep burnt orange, while the Slice was also silver, but highlighted in notice-me orange trim. It must be that Kia wants us to consider the ceed a future production model, being that a little more than one third of all cars sold are painted silver. Quite possibly the automaker has decided it stands a decent chance of having most of us seeing it as something we could actually own. And English Pewter really does the trick on this car, so  good choice Kia.

This new C-segment is geared to replace Kias Spectra, which is essentially a slightly improved version of the Hyundai Elantra. The Spectra enhanced styling, offered slightly better ride quality and handling dynamics, a marginally roomier interior, but in essence, the Kia is more or less the same car under the skin - a common trend among Kias and Hyundais since the latter automaker purchased the former.

This future Spectra replacement, the ceed, or whatever Kia will finally call it, moves Kias C-segment styling up a notch or two, and in the process will no doubt also improve on other aspects of the package as well.  After all, a car that looks this sporty would have to be fun to drive and must pack at least some punch under the hood.

Although Kia has the ceed concept focused on the European market, all we need to do is look at the Spectra, which also debuted first in Europe under its Cerato nameplate, to realize something very similar to the ceed will also likely appear here in North America.

And it would be surprising if a Spectra bearing the same design language as the ceed didnt do well on this side of the Atlantic. It is sporty, stylish and could easily become the next hot “tuner” for import fans to tinker with. Kia would like that.

Cmon, wouldnt you buy a Kia if the next Spectra looked like this? Kia would like that too.