Pro_cee'd puts best foot forward

Two 'green' concepts, one sports coupe concept and a new production model based on the cee'd platform make up the core of Kia's exhibit at the Frankfurt motor show.

The Hyundai-owned company has continued to build on its Euro connection with the four cars at the show, all of which were developed by Kia's European design studio, under the leadership of design honcho, Peter Schreyer.

The star of the stand is the Kee coupe concept (more here). Probably the most significant aspect of the Kee is that it introduces Kia's next generation design language. First and foremost in the Kia design language lexicon is the new front grille, which will be introduced across the Kia range in coming years. 

In the pictures, the Kee looks small -- and so it is, measuring 4.3 metres in length -- but it can accommodate four and Kia claims the rear seats are large enough for adults, although the company also describes the car as a '2+2'.

'Key' styling elements for the Kee include aluminium 'B' pillars clearly visible under glass, 20-inch alloy wheels, micro-switches set in the side windows to release the doors and a 'clamshell' tailgate.

Inside the cabin, the designers have opted for a square-bottomed steering wheel with gearshift paddles and instrument lighting in red and orange hues.

The transmission can also be operated sequentially from an ergonomically styled lever situated in the aluminium-finished centre console. Residing inside the gear lever hand-grip, the starter button can be accessed by flipping up the top of the hand-grip.

Although the controls operate through 'drive-by-wire' systems, Kia has tuned them for realistic (mechanical) feel.

Interior trim materials are a 'semi-suede' microfibre material and the sports seats feature a metallic-look silver fabric.

Motive power is supplied by a 2.7-litre V6 driving through a six-speed automatic transmission. Kia hasn't advised which end drives, but we're guessing it's the front. 200ps of power claimed for the Kee's engine equates to 147kW.

Peter Schreyer, Chief Design Officer for Kia said "It was essential to my thinking that we did not lose sight of the fact that the Kia brand must continue to appeal to customers in the mainstream.

"It would have been easy to present an extreme supercar at Frankfurt that would attract plenty of attention, but could have no place in Kia's future.

"Our sports coupe concept is not simply a flight of fancy but represents an affordable dream for sports car lovers."

The pro_cee'd has been reported by us previously (more here), but Kia has furnished more details on the new car. Compared with the cee'd, the three-door model features revised frontal styling, a rakish windscreen and, as one would expect, longer doors -- a substantial 276mm longer, in fact.

Stylists have worked hard to distinguish the Pro_cee'd from the cee'd by its side profile, which is centred around the rising hip-line at the rear. Styling has not been at the expense of function, the pro_cee'd boasting luggage capacity of 340 litres when the rear seats are upright.

Kia advises that the pro_cee'd will go on sale in Europe early next year.

The other two concepts on show at Frankfurt were the eco_cee'd -- a diesel-engined car based on the cee'd -- and the FCEV, which is an electrically-driven vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

In the case of the eco_cee'd, the 1.6-litre diesel engine complies with the Euro 5 emissions standard and develops 115ps of power (about 85kW). Fuel consumption on a combined cycle is as low as 3.9lt/100km and CO2 emissions are 104g/km.

As well as tweaking the engine tune, Kia has re-styled the body for a drag coefficient of 0.29Cd and the car is also fitted with auto stop/start and a regenerative braking system, all of which helped the eco_cee'd to meet its fuel use targets. 

Fuel cell vehicles are still very much a future prospect, whereas diesels and hybrids are in the here and now, but Kia has shown that the company has one eye on the future, with the FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle).

Based on a 4.6-metre long platform, the FCEV is compatible with an SUV-like vehicle design. The Sorento was the choice of 'mule' for this project.

Three electric motors derive their power from a fuel cell developing 100kW. Two 76-litre tanks are used to store the hydrogen fuel under high pressure (700 bar).

The FCEV has been tested for acceleration to 100km, recording a time of 10 seconds and going on to reach a top speed of 170km/h. By converting hydrogen to water, the FCEV produces the electricity during that process to drive the three motors. It produces no noxious emissions and can travel a distance of 600km without replenishing the hydrogen.

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