SPY PICS: 2013 rendezvous for next Rondo?

Prototype Kia MPVs similar to this heavily disguised test mule, recently spotted by Carparazzi as it traversed the late spring roads of northern Sweden, have been seen for some time, but reality will draw near as the full production version launches onto world markets in 2013.

Looking very much like a test mule photographed in the US as long ago as 2008, and expected to be launched as the next-generation  Rondo, the multi-seat Kia is based on the cee’d platform and will, in many ways, replicate a road going version of the adventurous Hyundai HED-5 i-Mode concept revealed at Geneva in 2008 and also under development. It is expected to be launched at the same time as the new Rondo.

Word is that the next Rondo will be offered in conventional front-drive and hybrid form, with a choice of either five or seven-seat configuration. Significant aesthetic input will come from ex-Audi styling guru Peter Schreyer, who is leading Kia to the forefront of Korean brands in terms of visual appeal.

The photos invite speculation more than certainty as far as the looks of the next Rondo are concerned, but it could reasonably be expected there will be plenty of differentiation between the two (Hyundai-owned) Korean brands when they are finally launched.

— with Carparazzi

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...