Following the debut of the i30 hatchback and i30 wagon, the next step for Hyundai’s compact model is to spawn the N hot hatch and Fastback body style. Over at Kia, the Cee-apostrophe-d is also being prepared for its very own overhaul from the ground up.
The second-generation Cee’d has been with us since 2012, and therefore, the time is high for Kia to introduce an all-new generation. Technically the same car as the third-gen i30, the Cee’d was caught on camera testing in Northern Europe alongside a very camouflaged i30 and a similarly camo'd Picanto.
From the sound it makes under acceleration and the way the driver revs the engine during parking, the pre-production mule runs on gasoline. The rough sound it produces might be a case of cold weather, the lack of soundproofing, or probably both, but then again, bear in mind this ain’t the final product.
Kia is in the final phase of testing the roadworthiness of the new Cee’d, and from the looks of it, the body shell appears to be production-ready. Inside, the new kid on the block is certain to borrow a handful of bits ’n’ bobs from the Hyundai parts bin. Based on this clip and some older spy shots, a proprietary adaptation of the i30’s infotainment system is one of those parts.
It’s also expected that the 2018 Cee’d will borrow most of the engines Hyundai offers in the third-gen i30, including a naturally aspirated unit displacing 1.4 liters and producing 100 ponies and 134 Nm (99 lb-ft) of torque. Other than that, it’s turbo goodness all the way from the 1.0 T-GDI three-banger to the 1.4 T-GDI and 1.6 CRDi four-cylinder powerplants.
According to the latest reports, the South Korean manufacturer plans to introduce the all-new Cee’d in September at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. As with the current model, the 2018 Cee’d will be made in Zilina, Slovakia.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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