What's the news?
Kia will later this year launch a crossover-ised (that's a word, right?) version of the Ceed hatchback that will compete with the likes of Volkswagen's T-Roc and the Ford Focus Active.
This moody yellow and black sketch is the first we've seen of the car, and seems to show that the Ceed hatch will be given quite a different rear end treatment compared to the standard car.
In that sense, it will kind of sit between the T-Roc (Golf chassis with unique body) and the Focus Active (standard Focus bodyshell with taller ride height and stick on plastic bits) when it comes to style. The Ceed crossover (it doesn't yet have a name more official than that) looks to be quite sleek and rounded at the back, with more than a hint of the very handsome Proceed.
Gregory Guillaume, Vice President of Design for Kia Motors Europe, explains: "There's another style, another type of vehicle, that we feel very strongly deserves to be a new member of the Ceed family. It will play the role that's needed to make the Ceed range stronger and even more exciting, more appealing, to European consumers. The design will be nothing like you've seen in the Ceed family so far. This will be the next big surprise from Kia."
The Ceed crossover will sit between the smaller Stonic and the larger Sportage in Kia's crossover lineup. Sales should start by the end of this year, and we should see the full production version at the Frankfurt motor show in September.