New Kia ProCeed is revealed

THE wraps will come off Kia’s new ProCeed very soon – but will it be a hatchback, a coupe or a station wagon?

Kia has released a teaser image of the rear end of the newcomer but is being pretty coy with the details at this stage other than to say that the design promises to be radically different from the previous generation pro-cee’d which was basically a more stylish and sporty, three door version of the five door hatch.

The dimly-lit image doesn’t reveal a lot, other than a shark’s fin style aerial, a triangular shaped high-level brakelight below a large tailgate spoiler, LED taillights stretching the width of the boot, a splitter-style housing for the rear number plate and a prominent ProCeed badge in the centre of the rear hatch.

The company says that this latest ProCeed – renamed in line with the hatchback’s latest, apostrophe-free moniker – merges stunning design with the space and versatility of a tourer in a five-door shooting brake body.

According to Kia, the new model closely follows the design blueprint laid down by the Kia Proceed Concept which wowed visitors at last year’s Frankfurt motor show.

With design cues taken from the Kia Stinger performance saloon but looking very much a hot shooting brake, the concept car appeared in a brilliant red paint job emphasising its’ low-slung lines.

At the time, Gregory Guillaume, Kia’s chief designer in Europe, said: “With many European drivers now seeking performance alternatives to the three-door hatchback style we began thinking about a different halo model...”

Kia says that this latest ProCeed will offer drivers an unparalleled combination of design and versatility. “Designed, developed and engineered exclusively for Europe, it represents a unique proposition in the mid-size family car segment,” says the company.

All will be revealed in a couple of weeks’ time ahead of the car’s public debut at the 2018 Paris motor show at the beginning of October.