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NEWS
pro_cee'd GT Kia's first force-fed petrol car
Kia confident the turbocharged pro_cee'd GT hot hatch will make it Oz later this yearIt has one of the weirdest names in the automotive world, but Kia Australia "very badly" wants the new pro_cee'd GT hot hatch, which could become the brand's first turbo-petrol car in Australia and provide it with a much-needed hero model.
"We do want to get a turbo engine in Australia, one of the cars has got to get it eventually, at this stage the eggs are in the pro_cee'd GT basket," said Kia Australia's National Public Relations Manager, Kevin Hepworth.
Kia Australia is "hopeful" the hot hatch will be in dealerships by year's end, giving the Korean car maker's range a decent performance boost via its 1.6-litre direct injected four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which pumps out 150kW/265Nm -- good for a brisk 7.9 second 0-100km/h dash.
Already outed ahead of its public premiere at the Geneva motor show in March, the pro_cee'd GT's engine is shared with sister-brand Hyundai's Veloster Turbo SR and the car's head-turning design will also generate interest with features such as quad LED fog lights, a sports body kit, spoiler, large wheels. Interior eye candy includes Recaro seats, red stitching and a sports steering wheel.
The new car would be a stand-alone model for Kia in Australia, as the all-new five-door Cerato hatch coming here in July is unlikely to be offered with turbocharged engines initially, allowing the pro_ceed to slot in as the sporty three-door hatch in the range.
However Mr Hepworth added that if the pro_cee'd GT deal didn't happen, there were other options for go-fast cars: "If that (pro_cee'd GT) was to fall over then the Koup or maybe the five-door Cerato would be the new favourite."
"Somewhere along the line it will happen," said Mr Hepworth of a turbocharged petrol Kia but remained positive about the pro_cee'd GT's arrival here.
"It's something we want very badly, and we'll work diligently towards that," he said, also confirming that it would retain its unusual name in Australia. "It will keep it's pro_cee'd name. We want it. It's a high desirability car for Australia, we have requested the car from KMC (Kia Motor Corporation head office)," said Mr Hepworth.
However he said that because the Cerato range is already established in Australia, no other cee'd (five-door) or pro_cee'd (three-door) hatches would make it here, nor the wagon variant.
"Why would we bring a base pro_cee'd in? We already have a Cerato brand that exists in Australia," he stated.
Currently Kia Australia sources all its vehicles from Korea, but with strong global demand - and the fact that the pro_cee'd GT is only built in Europe - this could change.
There would be synergies for Kia Australia to import other vehicles from KMC's Slovakian plant in Zilina if the go-ahead is given for the pro_cee'd GT -- vehicles such as the Sportage.
"Kia Australia has never taken a car out of the European factory previously," said Mr Hepworth, but conceded that the "future possibility of supply restraint" would mean the European plant could fill the void.
"Yeah it's tight there (in the Korea factory) because of the popularity of the vehicles."
If a European sourcing deal went through "All Sportages would come from Slovakia," he said, but added "I can't give you a time on that yet".
Sportage pricing would stay the same even if the cars came from Europe, says Mr Hepworth: "The customer wouldn't notice the difference but there might be a Series II badge," he hinted, making it more likely when the Sportage comes in for a mid-life facelift. It's something Kia's parent company is already undertaking, although Hyundai's European product is coming from the Czech Republic, which neighbours Slovakia.
Thus far Kia has confirmed the following new model launches:
Cerato sedan - April
Rondo people mover - May
Cerato hatch - July
Cerato Koup - December
pro_cee'd GT - tentative late 2013
Kia Optima (facelift) - early 2014
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Written byFeann Torr
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